Sunningdale Day Nursery

Sunningdale Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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EY350857 Unique Reference Number 15 July 2008 Inspection date Heather Morgan / Janet Butlin Inspector

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Sunningdale Nursery, 54 Plymouth Road, TAVISTOCK, Devon, PL19 8BU

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Setting Address

01822 613 416 Telephone number bambinosplymouth@aol.com E-mail Bambinos Ltd Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

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Setting Address

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?

Sunningdale Day Nursery was registered in May 2007 and is owned and managed by Bambinos Ltd, a company that has five other settings in the Plymouth area. It is registered to care for up to 62 children under the age of eight years. There are, at present 66 children enrolled, 30 of whom are in receipt of nursery education funding. The nursery currently supports a number of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and also supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery operates from a four storey listed grade two building in Tavistock and all children share access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery opens five days a week, from 07.00 to 19.00 for 51 weeks of the year.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

A team of 12 staff support the provision, 10 of whom are qualified to a minimum of NVQ level two; this includes a qualified teacher who has Early Years Professional Status. The setting is further supported by a management team from the organisation, which includes a qualified teacher, advisers and the proprietors who are qualified to degree level. The setting is also supported by the local authority.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are supported well in developing good hygiene habits as they are very familiar with the routine of washing their hands after they have been to the toilet or before meals. Staff also implement effective procedures to limit the risk of cross infection when they are changing nappies and serving food. Children each use an individual face cloth to clean up after meal times.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's outdoor play is balanced and purposeful. They develop their large muscles and have a good awareness of space. They manoeuvre wheeled toys with skill and control in the outside play space and balance with great care as they negotiate obstacle courses. They are protected from the harmful effects of strong sunlight as the setting ensures they wear sun cream and hats. They enjoy the benefits of fresh air every day that weather permits.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children develop healthy eating habits as they are offered regular meals and snacks. Menus are carefully planned to provide a nutritious, balanced diet of meals that are prepared using fresh, organic produce. Very good attention is paid to ensuring that children with special dietary requirements are provided with appropriate food.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are well cared for in the event of an accident of injury as most of the staff hold current first aid certificates. There is a readily available first aid kit on each floor of the building and these are checked regularly to ensure they are well stocked. Children's continuity of health care is promoted well by the efficient use of documentation to record, and share with parents, information relating to injuries and the administration of medication.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's emotional well-being is supported sensitively by a consistent staff team who develop close, affectionate relationships with the babies and young children, providing opportunities during the day for them to receive individual attention, cuddles and time to enjoy each others' company.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children play in areas that have been appropriately resourced to reflect their age and stage of development. All areas of the nursery provide a bright, welcoming environment with colourful displays of the children's art work. Resources are all in very good condition and include an interesting range of both natural and man made materials. Children are able to access resources freely as care has been taken to store and present them at low levels so that even the babies and youngest children can safely make independent choices. Children's play is well supervised to ensure they learn the necessary skills to use equipment safely. For example, the older children use scissors with increasing control and safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are kept safe in the setting and cannot leave the premises unsupervised. A rigorous system is in place to monitor access to the building, but is inconsistently applied with regard to the grounds and first floor landing. Staff regularly review children's play areas and consider any potential hazards related to the activities they offer and the outings children enjoy. Children are learning to keep themselves safe. For example, by regularly practising their fire drill to ensure they are able to evacuate the building quickly in the event of any emergency. Clear

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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 records of attendance are kept, including details of children playing outdoors to ensure they can be accounted for at all times.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is given high priority as staff have a secure understanding of child protection issues. They are aware of their recording and reporting responsibilities and are familiar with the procedures to be followed in the event of any concerns.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enthusiastically engage in a range of activities that sustain their interest and capture their imagination. They have many opportunities to initiate their own play as they choose freely from a variety of attractively presented resources. Staff observe the children at play and generally use this information well to plan future activities that reflect individual children's interests. This is particularly successful in the baby room, where children under two years are offered a range of experiences that focus on their interests in sensory exploration and their desire to increase their confidence, independence and mobility. Children aged two years are given good opportunities during their free play sessions to use role play and small world equipment to begin to make connections with real life experiences and make sense of their world. They enjoy singing, puzzles and looking at books as well as experimenting with craft materials to create

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

colourful artwork. Staff generally interact well with the children, encouraging their communication skills and supporting their play, although adult-led group activities do not always take account of children's age and stage of development.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children are extremely eager and keen to learn and are making good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of learning. However, it is not clear, from records kept, if their progress could not be even better, particularly in the area of mathematical development. Staff have a good understanding of the Foundation Stage and how activities support learning, but do not take full advantage of children's free play to extend their mathematical thinking. Regular observations are used thoughtfully to plan for activities that will interest the children, but these are not always consistently implemented. Children are all very interested in the activities provided and many concentrate for substantial amounts of time at their chosen tasks, becoming very absorbed. They follow the routines of the setting with confidence, although some become a little restless when they have to wait

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and queue. They talk to their friends and discuss their experiences with staff as they play. They make marks and some children write their names very competently. Staff make reference to the sounds that letters make and this is an area the nursery is keen to develop. Children count the days of the week, counting forwards and backwards, but there is little evidence of them spontaneously counting items or calculating. When playing outdoors, the children explore the soil and observe their plants growing in the garden. They investigate how things work, for example, the camera in the role play area. They also operate the computer with enthusiasm. Children develop their small muscles as they pour sand and squeeze play foam through their fingers. They become adept at cutting materials in their collage activities. Staff respond to children's interests. For example, they have adapted part of the home corner into a stage. The

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

children are delighted with this as they are enthusiastic actors and singers, and enjoy developing their performance skills. The setting is developing a new system of planning and assessment to make it clearer how the planned activities support individual 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

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are happy and settle very swiftly in the setting. They are very confident, for example, to talk to visitors. They show care and concern for one another, helping their friends to put on their aprons. They glow with pride when given roles and responsibilities, such as taking the attendance board to its proper place after registration. Older children about to leave the setting to go on to school are made to feel very special as they enjoy celebratory snack times and specially planned activities to mark this milestone. They learn about cultural diversity in meaningful ways as they explore various festivals and value children's home languages. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children respond well to the calm and sensitive manner of staff. They respond politely at registration time and always say please, thank you and excuse me. Children who have specific needs receive very good care as staff are

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Helping children make a positive contribution

experienced in working with local supporting agencies and planning for children's individual needs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are well behaved. Older children share popular toys good naturedly and effective strategies, such as helping children to understand the feelings of others, enable children to play happily alongside their peers. These strategies are not always implemented consistently to support the two-year-old children. Nevertheless, their behaviour is good and they are beginning to develop an awareness of sharing and taking turns to support their cooperative play. The setting is encouraging children to become involved in day to day routines and help, thereby fostering a sense of pride and helping them to make a positive contribution to the nursery community.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents are keen to convey how pleased they are with the service provided and how happy their children are in the setting. They have regular opportunities to look at their child's assessment file and have frequent discussions with staff about their child's progress and learning. They also discover what their children enjoy most about nursery. Encouraging parents to make more contributions to the assessment files is an area the nursery wish to develop. Regular discussions and exchange of information through daily discussions and diaries ensures that children's individual needs are met and that they are cared for in accordance with their parents' wishes.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides. A comprehensive range of policies and procedures is in place, shared with parents and implemented effectively to promote positive outcomes for children. Robust recruitment procedures are in place to ensure children are cared for by suitable persons and all members of staff are encouraged to work towards a relevant childcare qualification.

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Organisation

Good attention is paid to ensuring that staff rotas are organised efficiently and that adult ratios are appropriately maintained throughout the nursery. However, the organisation of some daily routines and deployment of staff to manage duties such as preparing for or clearing away after lunch sometimes interrupts the flow of children's play. Consequently, children are sometimes required to queue or wait for their next activity which affects the pace of the session and occasionally results in the older children becoming restless.

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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 Leadership and management are good. The setting regularly reviews practice and identifies areas for improvement. They are proactive in learning about and implementing forthcoming changes in early years care and education. Staff go on training to enhance the learning experiences of the children in their care. The setting receives regular support and guidance from the local authority advisers and has a strong commitment to improvement.

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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 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): • improve procedures for assessing potential risks and implement effective controls to ensure children's safety and security when playing in the garden and on the first floor • consider ways to organise the deployment of staff and nursery routines to ensure that children are able to consistently engage in stage appropriate activities

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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): • develop the process of using assessment to plan and provide activities that will support children's progress in all areas, with particular regard to mathematical development in free play

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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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