Happy Nursery Days

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. Happy Nursery Days Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY287358 Inspection date 10/02/2009 Inspector Mauvene Burke

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Setting address Valens House, 132A Upper Tulse Hill, London, SW2 2RX

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Telephone number 0208 6747804 Email 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). This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Happy Nursery Days opened in September 2004. It operates from a refurbished, self-contained building, on the ground floor of a residential block of flats on the St. Martin's Estate in Tulse Hill, which is situated in the London borough of Lambeth. Children have access to four rooms and to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is open each weekday from 08.00 to 18.00 throughout the year, except during bank holidays.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 47 children aged up to five years may attend at any one time. There are currently 57 children aged from birth to under five years on roll, some in part-time places. The nursery currently supports a number of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

There are 12 members of staff and three bank staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualification to at least National Vocational Qualification at level 2. The setting provides funded early education for three and four-year-olds.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory. Children throughout the setting are making steady progress through the early learning goals, but gaps in staff's knowledge regarding planning and assessment means that not all children are provided with sufficient challenges. Staffing ratios are appropriately met, but staff are not always effectively deployed to ensure children's individual needs are well met at all times. The learning environment is welcoming and generally inclusive for the children attending. The manager is beginning to evaluate the effectiveness of the provision and has identified some areas for future development. Staff work positively with parents to ensure that children's individual needs are met, however, systems to share children's progress are not yet fully established.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure that all staff implement the settting's behaviour management policy to ensure consistency throughout the nursery  ensure that all children have access to fresh drinking water during the day  increase staff knowledge and understanding of how to promote children's learning and development through their play  continue to develop the assessment and observation procedures, ensuring consistency across the staff team through continuous monitoring by management, plan for progression based on individual next steps for learning and involve parents more fully in the learning and development of their children  use the learning environment, both indoor and out, and everyday activities more effectively for developing chidlren's skills in all areas of learning, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 particularly in relation to their understanding of the importance of keeping

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further?

healthy and provide opportunities for chidlren to attempt writing for different purposes.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure that the Safeguarding statement includes the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare). 27/02/2009

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provision

The manager is competent and is committed to ensuring that the staff team understands the aims of the setting for the children's care and education. She is supported well by the proprietor of the nursery who takes an active role in the setting. Children's welfare is safeguarded through a robust and effective recruitment and vetting procedure. Children's learning, welfare and development is mostly satisfactorily supported, because most staff have a suitable understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). However, the systems for planning, observation and assessment are relatively new and not yet fully established to ensure that all staff are supporting children in making as much progress as they can in their individual learning and development. The nursery environment is of a good standard and resources are accessible to all children. Records, policies and procedures required for the safe and efficient management of the EYFS are in

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provision

place, although the safeguarding statement requires updating to reflect recent changes.

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provision

Systems are being developed to monitor and evaluate the quality of the service and management ensure that staff are fully involved in the process. For example, areas for improvement are discussed at staff meetings and action plans are drawn up, to ensure that these are implemented and advice is sought from the local authority development workers. Improvements since the last inspection have been gradual. This is mainly due to the departure of mangers during the last couple of years. Since the new manager has been in post, staff have had the necessary training required regarding the procedures for safeguarding children.

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provision

Positive partnerships have been established with parents through verbal discussions about daily routines and events. However, information systems to share children's achievements and progress have yet to be developed and established with parents in order to keep them fully up-to-date with their child's progress. Overall, inclusion is promoted well by the nursery. All children are welcome to attend, whatever their social, cultural or religious backgrounds and effective systems are in place to gather important information about their individual care needs and routines. The setting is proactive in identifying any additional help required for the children and seeks appropriate support from other This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 agencies, such as the inclusion officer and speech therapist, to ensure that each child benefits from a positive experience whilst at the setting.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children are happy and for the most part, settle quickly within the nursery and the daily routines. They respond well to the warm welcome extended by staff as they arrive. Children have forged good relationships with each other and the older children proudly name their friends in the setting, some of whom have attended the nursery since it opened. All staff are caring in their approach, although some lack the knowledge and expertise in recognising and providing equipment and resources to best support children's play, therefore, learning is not always consistent. They do not always recognise the learning intention of activities. On occasions they lack the necessary skills to extend children's learning further with effective questioning or through asking open-ended questions to encourage children to think for themselves or challenge their learning. For example, during the play dough activity, staff do not always extend children's creative thinking and

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

vocabulary by incorporating discussions on elements, such as texture and consistency or introduce mathematical language, such as 'more' or 'less' to compare the number of objects. There are too few opportunities for children to learn about the importance of keeping healthy and to attempt writing for different purposes.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Nonetheless, babies are very settled and confident with the staff that care for them. Each child's individual routine is respected and they enjoy a wide range of learning opportunities, including tactile experiences. For example, they explore different types of paper, natural materials and material they have found, such as the silky scarves. They show curiosity as they search for the toys that the adult has hidden in the wicker basket, which has a narrow neck just big enough for their small hands to fit in. They hide their faces with the silky material, imagining nobody can see them and show interest in the books read to them, pointing to the pictures in the book. They are beginning to recognise that they are different from others as they look at their reflection in the mirrors.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Although all staff make observations of children, most do not use these effectively in order to help establish the next steps in children's learning. Older children are left too much to their own devices and assessments are inconsistent and less systematic than those for children under two years old. Children confidently choose what to play with from the range of activities set out and select additional resources to develop their play and ideas. However, children's play and learning is broken into short periods for the routine time-tabled activities, such as snack times, lunch and tidying-up time. In addition to this, staff's interaction with children is somewhat limited and they are not always at hand to support children's learning. As a result, children often lack concentration, rarely become engrossed and so flit from one activity to another.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children are developing a good understanding of personal hygiene. The spread of infection is minimised due to clear procedures in the nursery. Children are encouraged to wash their hands before meals and after using the toilet, use This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 tissues to wipe their noses and discard tissues safely. Nappy changing procedures are thorough, which helps to reduce the spread of infection. Children are for the most part well behaved and are beginning to learn about sharing and taking turns. Nonetheless, staff throughout the setting are inconsistent in the way in which they manage children's behaviour and they do not always implement the settings procedures effectively. For example, staff at times use raised voices and shout instructions to children to gain their attention and fail to give clear explanations to children as to why a particular behaviour is unacceptable.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

There are good systems for ensuring that children's individual dietary requirements are known and met. Children receive healthy snacks and meals, which children eagerly eat. However, not enough is done to help children to learn about the importance of keeping themselves healthy. Although children have access to fresh drinking water, two year olds are unable to pour their own drink and often go through the morning without having a drink. The setting uses various opportunities to enable children to begin to understand the world around them. For example, they celebrate various festivals through a range of art and craft activities, sampling food from different cultures and listen to stories in languages other than English. This helps to promote inclusive practice throughout he nursery. 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? 3 How well are children helped to be healthy? 3 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 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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