The Wendy House 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. The Wendy House Day care Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY303528 Inspection date 02/07/2009 Inspector Anna Davies

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Setting address Manor Farm Business Park, Shingay cum Wendy, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 0HW Telephone number 01223 208869 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 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

The Wendy House Day Care Nursery is privately owned. It opened under the current registration in February 2005. It operates from a converted building in a small, rural setting within the village of Shingay cum Wendy, near Royston. All children share access to a secure, enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is open each weekday from 07.45 to 18.15 for 51 weeks of the year. Access into and out of the nursery is at ground level. There are no designated disabled toilet facilities.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 59 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 69 children aged from three months to under five years on roll. The nursery is also registered on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register and occasionally provides school holiday care for siblings of children already attending the nursery. The nursery currently supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, as well as children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 16 staff who work directly with the children. A total of 12 staff hold appropriate early years qualifications to at least National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 2. Of this total, one member of staff holds a Level 5 qualification and one member of staff holds a Level 6 qualification. The nursery also employs a cook. The setting provides funded early education for three and four-year-olds.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The overall quality of the provision is good. Staff promote all aspects of children's welfare and most aspects of learning successfully. Staff recognise and value the uniqueness of each child, they have built strong rapports with children and work closely with parents and other agencies, to ensure that all children achieve well in their learning and development. Children enjoy a varied range of activities and experiences in a safe and secure setting which effectively meets their needs and helps them to make good progress.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

There are effective systems for monitoring and evaluating the provision, management and staff are able to clearly identify and act upon any areas for future development, resulting in a provision that is responsive to the needs of all of its users.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure that adult-led activities are consistently differentiated according to childrens next steps of learning and their different ages and abilities  review the organisation of meal and snack times to provide further opportunities for children to develop their self-care and independence skills. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 obtain information about who has legal contact with the child and who has parental responsibility for the child (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare). 31/07/2009

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provision

Secure safeguarding procedures ensure that the children are well protected. Clear recruitment and vetting procedures are in place to help ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Staff appraisals are used to identify areas for continuing improvement and professional development, and staff make use of relevant training courses to build on their existing knowledge and skills. Comprehensive risk assessments are used to identify and effectively minimise risks within the nursery, on outings, in the grounds of the nursery and in the garden. Good security procedures are in place. For example, there is one entrance which operates via an intercom system, staff check the identity of visitors and their times of arrival and departure are recorded. Staff are secure in their knowledge about safeguarding children and the procedures to follow should they have concerns about a child in their care.

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provision

The registered providers and staff have good procedures for monitoring and evaluating practice, this means that they are aware of areas for improvement and can take appropriate action. A recent example of improvements, is the development of the outdoor area and regularity of its use by all aged children, artificial grass has been laid, a sun canopy erected and all in one waterproof clothing purchased. This ensures that all children benefit from the outdoor environment, enjoying regular fresh air and learning opportunities, such as a small sensory garden, whatever the weather and all year round. The registered providers maintain and promote a very positive attitude to feedback. For example, research was undertaken with parents, with regards to the introduction of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), as to how well informed they felt. As a result, the setting were able to tailor their response to the needs of the parents. The setting have

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provision

also acted positively on recommendations made at their last inspection, with improvements made to broaden the range of activities provided to the younger children and developing children's understanding of good hygiene practices through topic work, songs and discussion.

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provision

There are good arrangements for working in partnership with parents and carers. Staff take time to find out about the children they care for, their backgrounds and families. As a result, they know children very well and embrace their uniqueness. However, the setting do not obtain information about who has legal contact with the child and who has parental responsibility for the child. The nursery is welcoming and has a strong 'community' feel to it as it is open planned and staff share warm relationships with all of the children. Daily sheets provide written information about the children's day, their routines and the activities they have had This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the opportunity to participate in. These, together with daily discussions provide good opportunities for parents and staff to share what they know about the children and the progress they are making. An annual parents evening for pre-

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provision

school provides a more formal basis for discussing children's progress and development before they enter school and all children's 'Tracker' books are available to view at any time. Parents are encouraged to become involved in their children's learning through the display of current and up and coming topics on the notice board, so that they may contribute ideas or resources and through visiting the nursery to share their job roles with the children. The setting have put in place effective systems for working in partnership with other providers also delivering the EYFS to children in their care. This provides consistency in children's care and learning.

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provision

Management and staff share a positive attitude and respect towards ensuring that the provision is fully inclusive for all its users. For example, policies and 'Welcome' packs have been translated into various languages to ensure that information is accessible to all. Furthermore, the rooms have been re-organised to further ensure children's needs are met, for example, the older toddlers are now based in an area close to the bathroom in order that they can be effectively supported whilst toilet training.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children are provided with a good range of activities which enable them to make good progress across all areas of learning and development. There is a warm rapport between the children and the staff, which produces a secure and fun learning environment for all children. Staff carry out regular observations of the children as they play and these are transferred into children's EYFS 'Tracker' books in order to monitor the progress they are making towards the early learning goals. Information from observations is used to observe children's general next steps and interests, and this informs the planning of activities, ensuring that in most cases they are meaningful to the children. Staff support during child-initiated activities and play is good. They have a good knowledge and understanding of how children learn and use questioning effectively to support and extend children's learning. However, some adult-led activities lack clear differentiation, which means they are

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

not always effectively adapted to meet the different ages and abilities of children, for example, providing too much challenge for some of the younger pre-school aged children.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Practitioners actively work with parents, carers and other agencies to support the children's needs and this ensures that they are fully included in the life of the setting. Children begin to know about their own cultures and those of others through incorporating children's home languages in play, celebrating multicultural festivals and through topic work. This develops children's understanding of a diverse society.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children are happy and settled across the nursery. They confidently talk about their families and people important to them and this is sensitively encouraged by staff. Staff in the baby room ensure that activities, such as, large scale painting, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 promote their social skills and offers opportunities to express their creativity and to begin to learn about playing and working alongside each other. Children have a positive sense of themselves as individuals and staff respect this. For example, the oldest children proudly have their photograph taken to celebrate their 'graduation' from nursery to school. Children enjoy stories which are well-read by staff, encouraging participation and extending thinking and use of language, such as, chanting rhyming phrases. Children experiment with sounds and rhythm, making patterns with words such as 'bop', 'booing' and 'ping'. Children have good

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

opportunities to link sounds and letters, for example, as they identify their name cards and when guessing the names of countries after being given the initial letter and sound. Early counting skills are well promoted across all age ranges. For example, babies listen as staff count building bricks and older toddlers enjoy putting numbers into a song to count how many children are present. Children enjoy problem solving, correctly working out the answer to the question 'Im thinking of a number between one and three, what is it?' Preschool children have regular use of a computer and children use digital cameras to take photographs. This enables children, opportunities to learn about information technology. All of these activities help children to develop good skills for their future economic well- being. Children enjoy exploring and investigating. A good range of equipment, such as, toys that light up when you touch them and tube lighting help stimulate

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

babies sensory development, as well as during heuristic play activities. Children learn about their local environment as they visit the rural surroundings, looking at the moor hens and horses. Children's physical development is well promoted. For example, babies pull themselves to standing on appropriate furniture and pull-up points fixed to the walls, helps them as they steady themselves on their feet. Children enjoy using their imaginations as they take part in art and craft activities, independently develop role play ideas, explore how cereal products can be used to hide their toy whale, play in bubbly water or design their own postcards in relation to places they have visited.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Meals provided at the nursery are healthy, balanced and nutritious and menus take full account of any specific dietary requirements. Mealtimes are social occasions, staff sit with the children, engaging them in conversation, offering children a chance to savour their food and develop good table manners. However, meal and snack times do not maximise opportunities for children to develop their self-care and independence skills. For example, staff choose, serve and prepare snacks for children and they do not have opportunities to serve their own food at lunch time. Children across the nursery are encouraged to develop their skills so that they learn to keep themselves safe and well. For example, children discuss the importance of wearing sun hats and sun cream on very warm days, prior to playing in the garden and learn about safety through topics, such as, 'People who help us' and reminders from staff about using resources safely, such as threading laces.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Good hygiene routines followed by both staff and children ensure that the risk of cross-contamination is minimised. For example, individual flannels are used to wash children's faces after eating and positive messages regarding hygiene routines begin at a young age as they are encouraged to wash their hands following a nappy change. They learn about healthy eating and healthy lifestyles and are cared for by a high number of staff who are trained in first aid and therefore, know how to respond appropriately if children are ill or have an accident. Children behave well. Positive strategies are in place to ensure children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 learn to share and understand the effect their behaviour has on others. Staff frequently use phrases such as 'good job' and 'excellent work' to praise children for their efforts which boosts self-esteem and feelings of self-worth.

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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? 2 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? 2

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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? 2 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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