Playdays 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. Playdays Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY266832 Inspection date 30/03/2009 Inspector Linda Close

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Setting address 100-102 Wimbledon Hill Road, Wimbledon, London, SW19 7PB Telephone number 020 8944 8959 Email playdaysnurseries@hotmail.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 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

Playdays Day Nursery opened in September 2003. It operates from a refurbished building located close to Wimbledon town centre. There are six playrooms arranged over the ground and first floors. There are two offices, children's cloakrooms, two kitchens, a staff room and staff toilets. The nursery is one of a small chain of five settings. The local authority is Merton. There is level access to the building and appropriate toilet facilities for people with disabilities.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 109 children on roll aged from 3 months to under 8 years and a maximum of 61 children may attend the nursery at any one time. Children attend various sessions. The group supports a small number of children who have disabilities or learning difficulties and many of the children are learning English as an additional language. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Out of school care is provided in an adjacent building before and after school and during school holidays and a maximum of 25 children aged 3 to under 8 years may attend this part of the provision. The nursery provides transport to and from local schools. The nursery opens every weekday from 08:00 to 18:00 all year round, closing only for Bank Holidays and between Christmas and New Year.

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Description of the setting

There are 20 full time and one part time staff who work with the children. Over half the staff have early years qualifications, including a Montessori diploma and National Vocational Qualifications to level 2 or 3. In addition there are two drivers, a cook and one administrative staff member. The pre-school group enjoys some activities based on the Montessori philosophy of education.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory. Children are warmly welcomed into a bright, pleasant nursery environment and they are cared for by a kindly staff team who help them to leave their parents and carers confidently. Staff ensure that every child who attends has equal access to the available resources and activities. Staff in all rooms provide activities that are enjoyable and broadly suitable for the children, although the activities are not always planned to help children to achieve as much as they can. The manager has recently conducted a useful evaluation exercise and she is keen to bring about improvements. She has already obtained some new resources and she has booked some very relevant training courses for herself and her staff.

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further?

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

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further?

 raise staff knowledge and understanding of the six areas of learning to help them to identify children's starting points, accurately assess childen's attainment and plan activities that will help each child to make the best This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 progress towards the early learning goals  ensure that the opportunities provided for play and learning acknowledge and celebrate the language and cultural background of all of the children in the nursery  review and improve the organisation of resources and equipment in the baby room to give the children more opportunities to make choices and decisions about what they would like to play with  extend the range of ICT resources available for toddlers and younger children to explore and experiment  strengthen the partnership with parents and carers by ensuring that information is made available to them about what stage the children are at in

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further?

their learning journey  ensure that all baby foods are properly sealed and clearly labelled with dates and contents

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provision

The setting has established a trusting relationship with parents. Parents say they are pleased with the settling-in procedure and happy with the standards of care provided for their children. Staff display notices and they provide a useful quarterly newsletter which keeps parents abreast of general developments in the setting. Parents share ample information with staff about children's health and dietary requirements which enables the staff to care for their children appropriately. However, the nursery does not gain sufficient information about children's achievements prior to joining the setting to enable staff to establish children's starting points and plan the next steps in their learning journey. Parents can share children's observation records but these records do not give a clear indication of what children have achieved and what they need to learn next. This lack of information limits the strength of the partnership between staff and parents.

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provision

The manager has made exciting plans for developing the extensive outdoor area, which will benefit the children. She has identified staff training needs in order to raise their knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. Weaknesses that have not been identified include limitations in the multicultural aspects of the programme and the organisation of some resources in the baby room. Most of the recommendations from the last inspection have been addressed, although there are still shortcomings in the availability of ICT resources for toddlers and younger children. Progress made in response to an action to improve the storage of baby food in the ground floor kitchen has not been maintained. Cereals containers are not all sealed, frozen purees are not sealed or clearly labelled and the dates when packs of milk formula were opened are not recorded.

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provision

All members of staff are checked for suitability at the time they join the setting and new staff are accompanied by established staff until their clearances are in place. Suitably qualified staff work with the children in every room. A rolling programme of child protection training is in place to keep staff up to date and the manager This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 reminds staff about child protection matters at staff meetings. These positive organisational steps contribute to keeping children safe.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children in all rooms are happy to be with the staff and their friends. They learn good manners and politeness from the staff who are good role models. Children show that they are content to share and take turns with favourite toys, including the computer in the pre-school, which they use confidently. Children in other rooms have less chance to explore toys that wind up or toys that have batteries because these resources are somewhat limited.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Staff actively promote the development of children's independence in most rooms. Children can freely choose what they would like to play with in toddler rooms and pre-school but the babies have rather less opportunities to make choices because their toys are not all easily accessible to them. Taken overall, the opportunities for children to develop their skills in literacy, numeracy and information technology make a satisfactory contribution to their future economic well being.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Staff in the pre-school introduce Montessori resources to the children and this helps them to gain an understanding of letter shapes, mathematical shapes, size, length and number. Number games and mark making are a popular activity for many children. However, many of the observations that staff make when children are involved in activities other then Montessori tasks are inaccurate because they sometimes link their observations to the wrong area of learning. Dates are missing from many observations for children of all ages and next steps for learning are rarely identified.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children learn to keep themselves safe indoors, in the outdoor play area and on walks and outings. Staff supervise children closely when they use the staircase and they make sure children hold the hand rail and take their time. Children use wrist straps on outings and they learn how to cross roads safely. Children learn to make healthy choices at snack time and meal times when they are served with plain cereals, nutritious foods and lots of fresh fruit. They know that clean hands are needed for mealtimes and they can have fresh water to drink at any time.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children who are learning English as an additional language are cared for with kindness. Staff help them to understand through mime and patient explanation. The nursery displays many attractive images of diverse people and has suitable books that reflect a good range of cultures. However, there are not enough activities that are planned to help the children to learn about, respect and value the cultural background of all of the children in the nursery community.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Inclusion for children with special learning needs or disabilities is good. Staff provide effective support and they work very well with parents and outside agencies. They conscientiously follow the instructions given by physiotherapists and the children smile broadly when they play ball games outside. Staff ensure that children can join in with all of the activities in their own way. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children have daily access to a delightful garden which has different levels and interesting areas for them to explore. They love the slide attached to the slope of the garden and they crawl through hoops or climb on the climbing apparatus competently. They enjoy energetic play with balls and wheeled toys. Children become fully involved in digging in the garden and painting water on the fencing with large brushes and then stand back to watch the water dry up. Children have

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

many opportunities to play with water, cornflour and wet or dry sand. The art work displayed in all rooms is colourful and it enhances the nursery environment. 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

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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