Jack and Jill's Day 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. Jack and Jill's Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY374856 Inspection date 05/11/2008 Inspector Gillian Charlesworth

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Setting address Buncefield Lane, Woodlane End, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP2 7HY Telephone number 01442 244 903 Email jack-jill@supanet.com 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

Jack and Jill’s Day Nursery is company owned and personally managed on a day- to-day basis by one of the directors. It opened in 2001 but re-registered in new premises in April 2008. The nursery is situated in a purpose built single-storey building to the rear of the industrial estate in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. Access to all areas is accessible and comprise of nine rooms and a central play area that is used by the children. A designated sleep room is set-aside for children to have undisturbed sleeps. There are child-size toilet facilities, disabled toilets and staff toilets, a designated staff room and office. An enclosed garden is available for outside play which extends around the building.

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Description of the setting

The setting is registered on the Early Years and the Compulsory part of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 93 children may attend at any one time. It is open each weekday from 08:00 until 18:00 for 50 weeks of the year.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 66 children aged from seven months to five years on roll who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Of these, 18 children receive funding for nursery education. Children have varying attendance patterns and come from a wide catchment area. The setting currently supports a number of children with English as an additional language and a minority with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

Jack and Jill’s Day Nursery employs 15 staff. Of these, 11 including the manager, hold appropriate early years qualifications. One member of staff is working towards qualifications. Ancillary staff are employed to manage cooking and cleaning. The setting receives support from a qualified teacher arranged in conjunction with the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

A well qualified and committed staff team provide a generally positive atmosphere and welcoming environment where children’s health and safety is prioritised and children are happy, well behaved and making progress in their learning and development. Management are beginning to identify improvements needed and are developing practice in some aspects of the provision. However, some policies and procedures are less well defined and executed, such as safeguarding, staffing arrangements and education programmes therefore the quality of individual children’s experiences vary with babies receiving a more individual learning experience than older children. Effective links with parents and carers involve them in their children’s care and education and they have opportunities to be informed of children's progress.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 review daily routines to ensure the balance of adult and child-led activities This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 ensure that each child receives an enjoyable and challenging experience through active learning indoors and out, being creative and thinking critically across the areas of learning  improve the quality and consistency of observation, assessment and planning systems to ensure that children achieve as much as they can in relation to their starting points and capabilities  further develop the extent to which inclusive practice is promoted so that staff are deployed to provide children with positive and individual learning experiences and promote opportunties for children to develop and use their home language in their play and learning.

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further?

To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 ensure the safeguarding children policy includes the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff, and that all members of staff understand the policy and procedure, and it is explained to and accessible to parents. 30/11/2008

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provision

The setting have clearly defined recruitment and vetting procedures and staff undergo suitable induction therefore implement effective procedures to promote children’s health and safety. Risk assessments are thoughtfully managed and solutions found to address exceptional hazards, for example, a garden vacuum tool has been purchased to clear away rabbit droppings outside. Staff understand the established range of policies and procedures although gaps in the safeguarding policy leads to unclear procedures to follow in the event of an allegation against a member of staff. A wide range of information is provided for parents and ensures that they have a good understanding of established procedures. Parents are provided with general information on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and are encouraged to share information through informal daily discussions and through a comprehensive registration document that is often readily available and

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provision

supports children who are settling-in. These strategies help staff to know the children well. Strategies such as parent’s meetings, encourage parents to be involved in their children’s learning and development.

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provision

Adults are generally committed to continuous improvement. Staff are well qualified, attend workshops and are encouraged to work towards recognised qualifications and attend staff meetings. This has a positive impact on children’s confidence and behaviour. Several aspects identified for improvement from the previous registration have been tackled including documentation and more children’s choice during free play sessions. However, daily routines, timetabled activities and arrangements for staff deployment are not yet sufficiently well executed to ensure that children always have sufficient adult support, or the balance of adult and child-led activities is challenging and meaningful to all children. Staff are not given clear guidance to support children with English as an This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 additional language and so are not able to fully promote their identity. Self

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provision

evaluation has identified some areas where immediate improvements are required to promote children’s welfare and development. This includes regularly evaluating the impact of daily routines and making changes in an attempt to find solutions to the layout of the new premises. Arrangements to provide children with meaningful and individualised learning experiences are not yet in place because observations and assessments are not informing planning which is decided by adults and takes a whole nursery, topic focussed approach. However, enthusiastic managerial staff are keen to address the current limitations of the educational program. They are seeking advise from local development workers and developing strategies to introduce the principles of the EYFS.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

All children have chances to be active indoors and out. Babies have suitable furniture to move around freely and pull themselves to standing while older children follow instructions and take turns using an obstacle course inside, balancing, jumping or choosing from a smooth or bumpy slide. Every day timetabled access to the garden enables children to experience fresh air. Staff use babies records to provide consistency with home experiences. For example, when new babies are struggling to settle, they are calmed through a walk in the garden. Older children enjoy playing collaborative games outdoors such as ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf’. They develop strength and coordination using the range of mobile toys and some children show care and concern for others, offering to look after their friend’s scooter. Children are encouraged to adopt healthy habits through handwashing and blowing noses independently. There are opportunities for children to sleep, undisturbed in a

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

quiet room after lunch and sleep arrangements for young children are particularly geared towards their individual needs. Mealtimes in the central play area provide children with valuable social experiences as they tuck-into freshly prepared meals that are adapted to take account of their individual dietary needs.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children’s security is given a high priority and they are cared for in a safe, risk assessed environment with staff who help them to behave in ways that are safe for themselves and others. For example, staff explain dangers when they run around indoors and play boisterously. The current arrangements for staff deployment promote the good supervision and ensure that staff work directly with the children. However, there is often an imbalance between adult and child-led activities for children aged over one year due to timetabled routines that involve a lot of lining- up, moving between areas and prescriptive group activities. This limits active individualised learning.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Adult interactions with the children are mostly positive and respectful which helps children make progress and develop good habits of behaviour. For example, staff are good role models, play with children at eye level and encourage conventions such as please and thank you. They know the children well and engage in meaningful conversations during free play as children talk about their home lives and express their ideas confidently. As a result, children enjoy coming to nursery and are forming secure relationships with the staff. However, staff are not clear how they can fully support a number of children who speak a variety of home languages This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 or to promote those active learners who enjoy super-hero play. This potentially limits children’s sense of identity and the progress they can make in their learning.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children can make choices from the range of accessible resources during timetabled free play. These include creative materials such as glitter and tissue paper, collage, paints, chalks, cooked pasta and sand. They welcome the warm adult support when engaged in activities such as threading, role play, puzzles and construction and show pride in their achievements as they show staff their models and receive general help to develop this further. Staff are led by children’s interests in the role play area and offer suggestions as they begin to develop ideas when packing for a picnic. However, the deployment of staff at certain times, means that they are sometimes stretched to support all their groups' needs and interests and find it difficult to sustain individual interactions to challenge and extend children's learning. Children generally select from the range of adult-determined resources that are set-

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

out for them each day although can access a wider range stored in well organised, low-level containers. There are missed opportunities to ensure that the range set out is always sufficiently exciting, challenging and matched to themes or children’s capabilities. This potentially limits children’s dispositions as inquisitive learners.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

All staff make regular observations of the children although these are not yet used to inform planning which is generic therefore takes a whole nursery, themed approach rather than an individual approach. Consequently, the quality of children’s experiences varies. For example, stories are warmly read to babies and young children individually, but the pre-determined ‘firework’ theme content of lengthy circle time for older children is not always relevant, meaningful or within all children’s capabilities. Some children struggle to sit-still when asked to recall the ‘firework code’ that was introduced two days earlier. At song time some children sing songs with gusto while others lose interest and become restless which leads to adults becoming more directive. This limits some children’s full participation who do not achieve as much as they can in relation to their starting points, capabilities and interests.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

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? 3 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? 3

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

How well are children helped to stay safe? 2 How well are children helped to be healthy? 2 How well are children helped to enjoy and achieve? 3 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: Met 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

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, or Early Years Foundation Stage Welfare and Learning and Development requirements.

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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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