WelliesOfsted inspection, 8 Jul 2008

Wellies Inspection report for early years provision

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EY354403 Unique Reference Number 08 July 2008 Inspection date Caroline Wright Inspector

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2 Langton Hill, HORNCASTLE, Lincolnshire, LN9 5AH Setting Address

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E-mail

Kathryn Elizabeth Christie Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care, Out of School 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?

Wellies registered in 2007. It is privately owned and is situated in the town of Horncastle in Lincolnshire. The setting offers full day care to children from the local community and surrounding areas. The setting opens Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 08.00 to 18:00 hours and children attend for a variety of sessions. They are registered to care for 100 children aged from birth to eight years.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children learn about personal hygiene through regular routines such as washing their hands before eating or after using the toilet. They know that they need to wash their hands after playing in the garden, ‘because they get dirty outside’. Children learn about leading a healthy lifestyle through everyday, practical experiences. They run around and exert themselves outdoors in all kinds of weather and learn the importance of regular fresh air and exercise. They develop

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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 good physical co-ordination and learn new skills such as riding bicycles, they enjoy pushing each other in a car or playing in the ‘gloop’ with their key workers. In addition, babies benefit from regular physical activities in the baby room. They push trolleys to help them to learn to walk and toys are put out around the room to encourage them to crawl to explore. This helps them to develop good muscle control and learn new physical skills according to their stage of development.

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Helping children to be healthy

However, staff do not always act as good role models. They are not vigilant in wiping down surfaces before serving food and after children have eaten and day to day cleaning routines are not followed effectively to help children to stay healthy. They do not always make sure that essential resources, such as soap and paper towels, are available in the bathroom areas to enable them to wash their hands when they need to. The monitoring system is not effective in ensuring the quality of the cleaning and as a result, some areas of the nursery are not clean enough. This affects children’s ongoing good health.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children learn about healthy eating through direct experiences, such as serving themselves to a healthy snack each day, and their nutritional needs are adequately met. Staff preparing food work well with their key-workers to make sure that their special diets and allergies are catered for. Children enjoy their meals, which are varied. A satisfactory system has been established to ensure babies’ dietary needs are met. Parents bring babies' own bottle feeds into the nursery and store them in each child’s individual storage basket. However, bottles are not yet labelled individually to secure against the risk of giving the wrong bottle by mistake. Babies sleep and feed according to their own routines and staff make good eye-contact with them to ensure that they feel secure and develop good relationships.

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Helping children to be healthy

If the children become unwell or have an accident whilst they are in the care of nursery, up to date records are in place to make sure that appropriate care is given. Staff follow procedures effectively to make sure that parents are well informed about accidents or any medication that their children receives whilst they are in the nursery. The majority of staff are qualified in paediatric first aid so that they know what to do in the event of an accident.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children move around safely under the constant supervision of the nursery staff. Good security on the main entrance prevents children from leaving the premises without adult supervision and adults are unable to enter the premises without being invited. In addition, Closed Circuit Television (C.C.T.V.) cameras in the nursery mean that parents can be assured of their children’s ongoing safety throughout the day. Staff are particularly vigilant when children play outside in the garden area to make sure they are safe at all times. Visits by the local police officers and small world play about road safety help children to learn to keep themselves safe in the future.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The daily risk assessment of the premises, which adults carry out before each session begins, addresses the potential hazards to children’s safety. The baby room provides a safe environment for babies to explore, with a good range of toys available for them to select independently so that they can pursue their own interests. However, discarded toys in the corridors and the cluttered entrance area mean that the physical environment is not always attractive and welcoming to children and their families.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

A wide range of written policies and appropriate procedures are in place, including regular fire drills, to help children and staff know what to do in the case of an emergency evacuation of

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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 the premises. A suitable fire alarm system is in place to make sure that good warning is given to staff in the event of a fire and this is linked to the emergency services to guarantee an immediate response. Evacuation cots are provided in the baby room to make sure that babies can be evacuated quickly in the event of an emergency. Most of the resources are appropriate for children’s age and stage of development, and these are checked regularly by the nursery staff to ensure they are in good condition and are safe. However, there are not enough suitable chairs to enable babies to learn to feed themselves so that they can become independent and develop new physical skills. Furthermore, toddlers all sleep together on a duvet on the floor in the playroom after lunch and there is insufficient space for them to move freely which impacts

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children’s welfare is safeguarded and promoted by staff who have a sound understanding of child protection procedures, which are in line with those set out by the Local Safeguarding Children Board. A designated person makes sure that all child protection issues are well co-ordinated and appropriate agencies are notified in the event of concerns for children’s welfare. Good instructions are given to students and visitors to make sure that children are not left unsupervised with adults who are not cleared as suitable.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children are happy at the nursery and enjoy their play. They freely access the chosen equipment and resources that staff provide at activities each day, such as small world cars with the play mat, bathing baby dolls or the role play area. They play with a satisfactory range of construction materials and use tools, such as glue stick and pastry cutters regularly. Children enjoy painting with brushes, making meaningful marks and exploring their creativity. Staff make good use of the ‘Tuff Spots’ to provide interesting activities at low level for the children to access easily. They encourage children to communicate, responding well to babies’ babbling and toddlers’ attempts to use new words. As a result, children are confident communicators and interact with each other and adults well.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Adults are beginning to use the new Early Years Foundation Stage framework to plan activities for the younger children. They carry out regular observations of children at play and use these to map children’s progress towards the early learning goals. However, staff do not use their observations of what children enjoy and do well to plan the next steps for individual learning or to inform activity plans. This affects progress.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children express their creativity in art and craft, creating their own paintings on the easel or making a kite with their key worker. They play together in groups and engage in conversations, listening to each other’s ideas. For example, when playing with the dough they talk together about the ‘chocolate cake’ and ‘cherry cake’ that they have made. The clearly labelled toys and equipment enables children to learn that pictures carry meaning and some children recognise familiar words, such as their own name. Children listen well to stories and look at comics alone and with adults, turning pages correctly from front to back. They use number names and mathematical language such as ‘more’ and ‘enough’; they talk about the ‘littlest’ fishes and the ‘big’ lorry as they play with small world toys. Children enjoy using the computer and explore everyday technology such as the telephone,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

role play cooker and toaster. They make leaf prints and talk about the weather to learn about

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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 patterns and changes in the natural environment. They sing familiar songs and clap their hands or move their fingers to the songs learning to follow a rhythm.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Planning for activities is linked to the stepping stones and the early learning goals. Staff carry out daily observations of children and use these effectively to monitor children’s progress. However, they do not use their observations of children’s interests so that they can plan the next steps for each child by building on what they already know and can do. As a result, many activities offer insufficient challenge. For example, staff use pre-cut shapes in cutting and sticking activities and children are unable to access interesting art and craft materials independently so that they can develop their imagination and practise essential skills as they play. Staff write children’s names on their artwork as a matter of course unless they know that children can do it for themselves.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

All of the staff working with funded children are suitably qualified and have a sound understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum. They know how the activities they provide contribute to children’s progress towards the early learning goals. They plan a wide range of interesting activities that help children to learn through practical experiences. Planning for activities shows clear learning objectives and has clear links to the stepping stones. However, staff miss opportunities to develop children’s understanding of calculations and numbers in meaningful situations and the programme for communication language and literacy is not balanced. For example, opportunities for children to learn to read and write and to use numbers in the role play area are missed because staff do not provide children with appropriate resources. This affects children’s progress.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children show a good sense of belonging as they greet staff and each other upon arrival. Adults encourage children to work together co-operatively during small group activities and give careful explanations that young children can understand to help children learn to share. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. They have opportunities to learn about the world they live in and about all members of society. They play with small world figures, look at books and take part in a satisfactory range of cultural and religious celebrations. Children demonstrate that they understand each other’s needs well and are caring towards each other. For example, when one child becomes upset at lunch time another child quickly offers them comfort with a cuddle and kind words of reassurance.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Satisfactory procedures are in place to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities as well as those who speak English as an additional language so that they can join in the activities provided and make satisfactory progress. Staff work with other professionals to meet children’s special learning needs and learn key words to help children to build on their home language.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Most of the children help themselves to a wide range of resources to help them to make decisions. Older children are able move freely between the indoor and outdoor environment so that they can learn in their preferred environment. However, some of the younger children’s ability to engage in periods of sustained thinking is limited when their key workers move them away from an activity to give someone else a turn. In addition, group activities such as lunch time do not provide children with appropriate challenges. For example, older children are kept waiting without purposeful occupation after they have eaten lunch and as a result they display disruptive behaviour. This compromises learning.

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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 Parents are able to use a special password to check on the welfare of the children using the C.C.T.V. so that they are reassured that their children are being well cared for during the day and are happy. Staff collect a range of information about children’s individual likes and dislikes when children start at the nursery to help children settle well. Parents are encouraged to become part of the nursery and wider community by taking part in the Christmas get together, evening classes and raising funds for local charities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is good. Key workers share information informally with parents on a daily basis and they benefit from having opportunities to look at their child’s assessment records. They have good information about the key worker system so that they know who to talk to about their individual child’s progress. A suggestions box in the entrance area enables parents to make any comments about the way the setting is run so that their children’s individual needs can be met effectively.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The nursery environment provides plenty of space for children to move around safely and independently. Children and their families are warmly welcomed into the setting each day by staff who greet them with smiles and encouraging comments. As a result, children demonstrate a sense of belonging and settle in well.

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Organisation

The registered provider uses successful recruitment procedures, which ensure that the staff are well experienced and hold the necessary qualifications to carry out their role effectively. All staff are rigorously vetted to ensure that they are suitable to work with children. The new manager has evaluated the provision effectively and successfully identified areas for further development. However, the manager does not have appropriate information available to enable her to be confident that suitable adults are deployed in each area of the nursery on a day to day basis. This has the potential to affect children’s safety.

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Organisation

The induction procedure and comprehensive operational plan, with up to date information for staff, makes sure that all members of the team are adequately informed. The nursery staff are well supported by regular meetings with the manager, who works with the registered provider to ensure that their ongoing training needs are well met. All of the legally required documents, which contribute to children’s health, safety and well-being, including a procedure to record complaints or concerns, are in place and regularly reviewed. However, there is no suitable system for making sure that staff carry out cleaning routines according to nursery policies and as a result, the premises are not always clean or tidy enough to promote children’s well-being effectively.

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Organisation

Leadership and management of early education is satisfactory. Regular meetings enable staff to work effectively as a team. Ongoing training and development is identified by a good system of appraisal for all members of the team. Staff work well with the local authority teacher mentor to improve their practice and develop their understanding of the new Early Years Foundation Stage framework. However, opportunities for children to extend their learning independently are missed and some activities lack interest and challenge for children. This impacts upon children’s learning.

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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

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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 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): • develop an effective system for recording staff suitability checks • improve the physical environment and resources to make sure that that all areas of the premises are inviting to children and their families, there are sufficient suitable chairs for babies to feed themselves and suitable space is provided for sleeping toddlers • improve systems for monitoring practice to ensure that staff follow nursery procedures and promote children's ongoing good health effectively.

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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): • continue to develop the system for planning and assessment: make sure observations of what children enjoy and do well are used effectively to inform planning for individual learning, providing appropriate challenges at all times and promoting positive behaviour (this also applies to care) • improve the programme for communication, language and literacy and mathematics: provide children with opportunities to use writing, learn about sounds and letters and develop their understanding of calculations through everyday experiences and routines.

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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 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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