Awsworth Schoolhouse Day Nursery

Awsworth School House Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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EY357100 Unique Reference Number 23 May 2008 Inspection date Anne McKay Inspector

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The Lane, Awsworth, NOTTINGHAM, NG16 2QQ Setting Address

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01159 444 114 Telephone number info@awsworthschoolhousedaynursery.co.uk E-mail Shaheen Firdos Khan 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 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 AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Awsworth School House Day Nursery was registered in 2000 and re-registered with its current proprietor in 2007. It operates from a single-storey converted school in the village of Awsworth, Nottinghamshire; serving the village and neighbouring communities. A maximum of 50 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 07:15 to 18:30 for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery offers full day care, including the provision of out of school care. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 71 children on roll. Of these, nine children receive funding for early education. The nursery makes provision for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and for children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 12 members of staff, 10 of whom hold relevant early years qualifications and one of whom is working towards a qualification. The Director of the nursery holds the Early Years Professional Status. The nursery receives support from the local authority and is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association.

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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 are protected very well from the risk of cross-infection because staff consistently follow good hygiene practices such as wearing disposable aprons and gloves to change nappies. All areas accessed by children are maintained in a clean condition and children learn good hygiene practices through the daily routine. For example, babies and younger children have their faces and hands washed by staff before and after meals and after nappy changes or using the toilet; older children have learned to do this independently and know that they are washing away germs that might make them unwell. The nursery has efficient systems in place for recording any minor accidents and any medication administered. These records are used effectively by staff who record all relevant and essential information and share the records responsibly with parents to promote consistent care.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children of all age groups are provided with physical activities that are appropriate to their age and stage of development and enjoy the opportunity to play outside in the fresh air every day. Babies are supported in their physical development through access to suitable toys and equipment that stimulate and encourage them, and through very good levels of support from staff who monitor and plan for each child individually. Older children participate in a range of activities to promote their large muscle control, for example, through running, jumping, climbing and balancing on the equipment outside as well as through dance and movement activities. Children's fine muscle control and hand to eye co-ordination is supported through, for example, use of a variety of tools such as glue spreaders, scissors and activities such as threading and moving small pieces around a board during a game. Toddlers have many opportunities to develop

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Helping children to be healthy

these skills and the pre-school children demonstrate increasing confidence and independence.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are very well nourished through a varied and balanced menu of nutritious food that is prepared on site by the cook. Individual dietary needs are met in accordance with the wishes of parents. Babies' individual routines are followed and bottles are either supplied by parents or freshly prepared by staff for each feed. Meal times are relaxed, social occasions when staff and children can sit together and chat. Children enjoy their food and are able to take time to eat what they need without being rushed. Fresh drinking water is available to children at all times so they do not become thirsty or dehydrated.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. All areas of the nursery are child-focused and welcoming. Children have plenty of room to move around freely and explore, both indoors and outside. The space is well organised so that each group room has designated areas for children to play, rest and eat in comfort. Suitable child-sized furniture and cushions are provided for the children and staff have a comfortable chair to sit on when feeding babies. Children access a very good range of resources that are suitable to promote all areas of their development. These are set out each day in accordance with the planning and children are also encouraged and enabled to make their own independent choices from the accessible storage. Generally, resources are very well maintained and in a good, clean condition. However, pencils and crayons accessed by the toddlers in the outside covered area are blunt which compromise stheir enjoyment and limits their mark-making and drawing. Each

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

room has a book with photographs of activities and toys to help children to choose and they can ask staff for something they have identified in the book.

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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 secure outside play area is divided into a covered area, a wildlife garden and a large grassed area that is imaginatively designed with a number of small hillocks and undulations. Children relish their outside play and are supervised to a high standard whilst playing indoors, outside and whilst on outings. Staff understand what levels of supervision are required for groups of children and individuals, depending on their age, level of understanding and ability. Consequently, children are able to explore and play freely, developing independence skills whilst being kept safe. Children practise the evacuation procedure so they learn what to do in an emergency.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's safety is promoted through the use of suitable safety equipment where necessary and there are good procedures in place to undertake risk assessments, to ensure that any potential risks are identified and that action is taken to minimise them. However, there is no system in place to ensure that sleeping babies are checked frequently, with the slight potential for their health to be compromised as staff can hear them but are not regularly making visual checks. Children are protected by the staff's excellent understanding of the safeguarding children procedures and their knowledge of how to put these into practice to promote the safety and well-being of children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children throughout the nursery are settled and confident in their secure relationships with staff. They are welcomed into the nursery and separate easily from their parents, going to explore what is set out for them. Children are enthusiastic in their play, enjoying both the opportunities to make their own choices and to join in focused activities led by adults. Staff use the 'Birth to three matters' framework to securely underpin the planning and regularly assess individual children's development through a system of observations and assessments. Children's social and communication skills are very well supported, building children's positive self-esteem and confidence. For example, babies snuggle in when they are cuddled and are held closely whilst being fed. Staff talk to them and make eye contact. Staff play with the children at their level and talk to them and ask questions. Babies verbalise confidently during

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

their play and older children chat freely with staff and with each other.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children play creatively, developing their own imaginative games, playing independently and alongside each other. Children show curiosity and are interested in what they do. They receive good levels of individual support so they develop confidence and positive self-esteem while learning new skills. They respond well to the skilful questioning of the staff who ask them questions that encourage them to think and to explore ideas so they learn while they are playing. For example, children in the toddler room enjoy a water activity in which they are bathing dolls. They talk to each other about their own bath times and staff ask questions that help encourage them to think and to make links between home and the setting. Children learn though their play, for example, staff routinely ask questions that encourage children to count and to recognise shapes and colours.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children at the out of school club are confident and self-assured. They arrive from school and settle quickly, enjoying talking to each other and staff about what they have done at school that day. Children are co-operative and listen to each other. They play freely and enthusiastically outside and settle to a varied and suitable range of activities when they come indoors. This group of children contribute their own ideas and these are incorporated into the planning, adding a sense of ownership to their positive experience.

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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 Nursery education

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals. The staff who are responsible for planning and evaluating the children's progress have an excellent understanding of the Curriculum guidance to the foundation stage and this is reflected in clear and thorough planning that is balanced across the six areas of learning. There is a clear and cohesive system for recording observations of individual children and these are used to assess their learning and to plan for their next steps. Children benefit from effective support from staff who understand the way young children learn and who ask questions that challenge them and help them to think. The learning outcomes are planned for the group as a whole and there is clear differentiation in the planning and provision for children of different ages and abilities. For example, a board game is accessed by a group of children

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

of varying ages and abilities. They co-operate and take turns whilst learning at different levels. For example an older child practises some basic calculation as he works out how many more spaces he needs to move whilst younger children practise their counting.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children demonstrate confidence and security in their relationships with staff and with each other. Strong friendships are developing between the children and they show respect and care for each other. Children mostly behave very well, responding to guidance and reminders from staff. Children usually understand what is expected of them. They are co-operative, take turns and know how to share. Children concentrate and stay on task because they are interested and purposefully engaged. They benefit from effective support from staff who ask questions that challenge children and help them to think. Children have many opportunities to develop new skills and to consolidate their learning. They are confident communicators and use language to interact with staff and with each other. Children are generally confident in speaking in groups. They show good progress in early writing skills and enjoy sharing books and stories.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children use a variety of tools such as paint brushes, different types of pencils and chalks to make marks, although these resources are not well maintained so pencils are blunt and paintbrushes not ready for use as they have not been cleaned after their previous use. This limits the children's opportunities for spontaneous mark-making. Children learn to hold pencils correctly and begin to recognise and form letters. Older children recognise their own names and begin to write them independently.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children learn to use mathematical language. For example they participate in an activity in which they identify when they look at a selection of fruit and vegetables which are smaller and which are bigger. The older children are able to sequence the vegetables by size. Children count by rote to at least five and some children count up to 20 or beyond. They are confident with numbers and begin to do basic calculations and recognise numbers out of sequence. Children explore and investigate. For example, they use magnifying glasses to hunt for bugs in the outside space and have done a recent topic in which they experimented with different items to see which floated and which sank when placed in the water. Children use the computer with confidence, using the mouse competently to navigate programmes. They plan and construct objects using a variety of different methods and construction sets. They learn about their own

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and other's cultures through topic work and stories or when sharing news from home. Children learn about being healthy and about how their bodies work. For example a group of children feel their hearts after running around outside. Children are creative and express themselves freely. Their art work is not prescribed so they can create and complete work to their own satisfaction. They use a variety of different techniques and explore with textures and colours. They play imaginatively, creating scenarios and telling stories through the small-world play and by evolving role plays together.

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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

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children have a strong sense of belonging at the nursery. Individualised settling-in procedures help both parents and children to develop very positive relationships with staff. Children can bring in a familiar toy to help them settle and flexible arrangements are available to parents whilst they build up confidence in leaving their child. Parents and staff communicate regularly through daily verbal exchanges of information and through daily diaries for the youngest children, so all parties are kept up to date. Staff collate relevant information about children's likes, dislikes and individual routines to enable them to provide continuity of care.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are very well supported by staff to ensure they are all included on an equal basis. For example, activities are planned so they can be accessed by children at different levels of ability and with no gender differentiation. Good provision is made for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and for children with English as an additional language. Children learn about wider society through playing with a good range of toys that reflect positive images of diversity and through activities that are linked with religious and cultural events in the calendar. They also learn about their local community through walks and visits locally. Children begin to learn a sense of responsibility for their environment, for example, by learning about recycling. Children's social, moral, cultural and spiritual development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave well throughout the nursery and staff are generally consistent in sensitively managing children's unwanted behaviour in a way that children can understand and learn from. Expectations are mostly clear and achievable for children and the focus is very much on encouraging good behaviour through praise that is pertinent and makes sense to individual children. Children's behaviour is understood in context and children are valued as individuals, promoting their confidence and positive self-esteem. Children are encouraged to behave well because they are familiar with the daily routines, feel secure in the setting and in their relationships with staff.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers of funded children is outstanding. Parents are given excellent information about the six areas of learning and the early learning goals so they can understand what the children are learning in the pre-school and the purpose of the activities planned for their children. Staff forge strong links between home and the setting so that parents can support their child's learning at home. For example, parents receive a regular newsletter that explains the topic being covered, gives a breakdown of what the children will be doing in each area of learning and gives suggestions of activities to do with children at home. Parents are welcomed into the setting and can access their children's records at any time. Staff hold parents' evenings and write regular progress reports which are shared with parents, welcoming parents' views.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are cared for by a stable group of staff who have the qualifications and experience to consistently plan and provide a wide range of play and learning opportunities that promotes children's development in all areas. Robust recruitment and induction procedures ensure that the high standard of staff is maintained. There is a strong commitment to ongoing training to develop and enhance staff's existing skills and knowledge. Children benefit from a well-established key worker system so they are cared for by staff who know them well as individuals. Staff to child ratios are correctly maintained and staff are deployed effectively to

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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 promote the safety and welfare of the children. All essential documents are well maintained, up to date and shared with parents. The nursery's good practice is underpinned by comprehensive policies and procedures.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of funded children is outstanding. The management have a very clear vision for the nursery education and have the ability to assess their own strengths and weaknesses and plan effectively for improvements. The owner of the nursery has the Early Years Professional Status and is proactive in encouraging staff to further improve their qualifications, for example, by studying for the Early Years Foundation Degree. The owner takes responsibility for keeping up to date with relevant research and uses this information to ensure the setting continues to improve and that staff are well informed. All staff have time set aside to evaluate children's learning and to review planning to ensure it meets the needs of individual children. The setting seeks and acts upon advise from the local authority, working closely together to continuously improve the outcomes for children. Overall children's needs

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since registration there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that requires 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 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 AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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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 a system to ensure that sleeping babies are frequently checked

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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): • ensure all resources are suitable and well maintained so they support children's learning and independent choices [this also applies to care]

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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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