Lady Lane Park School & Nursery

Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated. SRC Community Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 107458 Inspection date 29/10/2008 Inspector Marcia Robinson

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Setting address 1 Gaza Street, Kennington, London, SE17 3RJ

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Telephone number 020 7582 7282 Email dorothy@srcnursery.wanadoo.co.uk Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration whichever is the later, which require Ofsted or the provider to take action in Annex C.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

SRC Community Nursery was first opened in 1983. It operates from a two storey building that is purpose built on the ground floor and is located in the area of Kennington in the borough of Southwark. The setting is registered on both the Early Years and Childcare Registers. The nursery is registered to care for a maximum of 69 children aged from six months to eight years of age. They currently have 52 children up to five years and five children from age five to eight years on roll. The setting supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The group is open five days a week and operates from 08:00 to 17:45. Twenty members of staff work with the children, of these sixteen hold an appropriate early years childcare qualification and two members of staff are working towards a recognised childcare qualification. The setting receives support from an advisory teacher from

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

There are breaches of the overarching requirements in both the welfare and the learning and development requirements. This means the setting is not effective in meeting the needs of the children in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Inclusive practice is not fully promoted in all aspects, particularly with regards to supporting children with English as an additional language. The nursery is beginning to develop systems to monitor and evaluate the provision, but despite this, little action has been taken since the last inspection to secure improvement.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall, the early years provision requires significant improvement. The registered person is given a Notice to Improve that sets out actions to be carried out.

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further?

To comply with the requirements of the EYFS the registered person must take the following action by the specified date:

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further?

 develop knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements, including the areas and aspects of learning, and the early learning goals (Educational programmes) 15/12/2008  maintain a record of children's attendance, including the times of their arrival and departure (Documentation) (also applies to the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register) 15/12/2008  assess the risks to children in relation to hazards around the nursery including access to unsuitable storage of toys and equipment and take action to minimise these (Suitable premises, environment and equipment) (also applies to the voluntary and 30/12/2008 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 compulsory parts of the Childcare Register)  improve partnerships with parents and the sharing of information, and increase knowledge and understanding around the need to record and respond

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further?

to complaints, sharing details with parents (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 30/12/2008  organise systems to ensure that every child receives an enjoyable and challenging learning and development experience that is tailored to meet their individual needs, with particular regard to the sleep time arrangements for older children (Organisation) 30/12/2008  ensure positive steps are taken to promote children's good health with regard to bedding, soft furnishings, and constant access to fresh drinking water and ensure the signature of parents and staff in the medication record (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 31/12/2008 To improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 further develop systems for self-evaluation  improve on the range of healthy meals and snacks provided

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provision

The setting's organisation is weak, despite the fact that some effort to develop staff's knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage has been made. Children's needs are not well promoted, because the setting is not planning and organising the provision effectively to promote children's safety, learning and development. Risk assessments have been developed since the last inspection, but these fail to address the major risks to children in both the inside and outside play areas and they do not cover risk assessments for outings and visits. This is a specific legal requirement which the setting fails to meet and so it does not ensure the safety of children whilst on the premises and outdoors. The nursery has identified difficulties arising with the maintenance of the building in the self- evaluation, but they have taken little action to address matters of health and safety which means that children remain at risk as a result. The nursery is also not

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provision

aware of a number of other breaches and areas requiring improvement that are present in their practice, for example, the system to ensure that every child receives experiences that are tailored to meet their individual needs, with particular regard to the rest time arrangements for older children. Furthermore, not all of the required documentation, for instance, the daily attendance register and the medication record forms, is kept in line with requirements. These are breaches of the specific legal requirements, which means that the nursery is not positively safeguarding children’s well-being.

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provision

Overall, the setting has sound knowledge and understanding of safeguarding procedures and has established clear support lines with the local authority to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 support practice in this area. However, children are not well protected or safe because there are still hazards with regards to the storage of toys, the garden is unsafe and is not free from hazards, such as broken equipment. Aspects of children's health, for instance, with regard to food and nutrition, are less well promoted as children are not always encouraged to make healthy food choices and not all of them have free access to drinking water throughout the day. Lack of knowledge and understanding about health and hygiene procedures put children at further risk, for instance, children are exposed to the risk of cross contamination and infection due to the some of the unsound sleeping and bedding arrangements

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provision

The nursery takes pride in its positive relationship with the parents and staff are always available to talk to them. This is supported by a daily contact book where parents are also encouraged to share information about their child. However, the partnership with parents is not effectively promoting children's care and learning, in respect of meeting all children's individual needs and gathering information about children's starting points in their learning and development. Parental participation is actively encouraged at induction and throughout the placement. An example of this is regular newsletters highlighting different activities and how parents can be involved. Policies and procedures are shared with parents and includes one about complaints which forms part of the nursery prospectus. However, the nursery is not aware of the complaints procedure's existence and they are not familiar with the regulatory requirement for what is required to be

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

The premises are made welcoming and friendly to children, parents and carers. This is achieved through a team of friendly and approachable staff, colourful wall displays and carefully arranged notices throughout the nursery. Babies and children happily enter the nursery and are confident about leaving their parents and carers. They enjoy participating in some of the appropriate range of activities provided, including babies making patterns with shaving foam, toddlers making marks with paints and crayons as well as older children who are engaged in painting oil lamps in preparation for Dawali. However, the organisation of the day does not meet the individual needs of all children. For example, some of the older children are expected to either sit in silence or sleep even though they do not wish to do so. Consequently, this leads to a chaotic environment where staff do not give sufficient time to organising and planning activities to meet the children's individual

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Observations and assessments are not used to determine children's starting points and capabilities, as a result older children in particular are often engaged in activities that do not challenge them or help to extend their learning and move them towards the early learning goals. Babies and toddlers are engaged in a satisfactory range of activities and practical play experiences, such as treasure baskets filled with a range of natural materials and water play, developing their senses and building on their natural curiosity to explore. They play happily and move around confidently in their group rooms, especially because they are well This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 supervised and supported by adults who are sitting with them in their chosen activities, talking and playing with them, helping them to feel comforted and secure. The quality of teaching and learning, however, is not consistent across the

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

provision, particular as older children fail to make sufficient progress in their individual learning. This is because staff working with this age range have limited knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and consequently, the range of activities and experiences offered is too narrow to cover the areas and aspects of learning. Furthermore, the planning and evaluation of the provision is weak, which means that certain experiences to promote communication, language and literacy, such as linking sounds to letters, group activities, for example, to give children experiences to develop listening and speaking skills, and their access to books, are not given sufficient attention. All children, however, enjoy using their imagination, for instance, one child enjoyed dressing up in one of the costumes and pretending to talk to their family and friends using the toy telephone. Some creative activities,

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

such as dancing to music, play dough, painting, drawing, cutting and sticking, are made available to promote children's self expression whilst having fun. However, whilst staff set out resources so that they are placed within babies' easy reach, creative and construction toys in the pre-school room are not well organised so that they are stored safely or accessible to children. This provides children with less opportunities to become active independent learners. Some planned opportunities for children to explore their local environment are provided. For instance, babies go on weekly trips to a local drop in group, and they visit local parks, shops and places of interest; for instance, displays show photos of children and staff enjoying a nursery trip to Dean's Farm.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children's welfare is ineffectively supported. Although there are some suitable systems in place to support children who are ill, written medication records do not include signatures of staff and parents. In addition, important documentation such as the daily attendance register for children does not include children's arrival and departure times to positively safeguard children's well-being. Whilst there is a suitable range of equipment available to support the care and development of children this is not well maintained. For instance, soft furnishings and not all of the children's bedding are washed on a regular basis to ensure hygiene conditions are effective. Furthermore, whilst, some appetising meals, such as savoury mince with mashed potatoes and vegetables are provided, other meals and snacks such as white bread sandwiches filled with jam, sweetened biscuits and cereals, are regularly offered to children. This does little to ensure that children are consistently

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

provided with healthy food choices that benefit their health. The nursery are however, taking good measures to safeguard children in the event of an emergency. For instance, a number of escape routes have been identified and are regularly practised with children to ensure they are familiar with the processes so that evacuations can take place speedily. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

How well does the provision promote inclusive practice? 4 The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement.

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Foundation Stage led and managed?

How effective is the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement? How well does the setting work in partnership with parents and others? How well are children safeguarded? 4

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

How well are children helped to stay safe? 4 How well are children helped to be healthy? 4 How well are children helped to enjoy and achieve? 4 How well are children helped to make a positive contribution? How well are children helped develop skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being?

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report 31/12/2008

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report 31/12/2008 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex C: complaint/s made to Ofsted

This section of the report includes details of any complaint/s made to Ofsted when:  we took action for the provider to meet the requirements of the Early Years Register; or  we asked the provider to take action in order to meet the requirements of the Early Years Register; or  the provider had already taken any necessary action to meet the requirements of the Early Years Register.

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Annex C: complaint/s made to Ofsted

We will not report on any complaint where the provider met the requirements of the Early Years Register or did not require any action by Ofsted or the registered provider.

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Detail of the complaint/s

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since the last inspection.

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Detail of the complaint/s

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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