Grace Neighbourhood NurseryOfsted inspection, 20 Dec 2005

Grace Neighbourhood Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Grace Neighbourhood Nursery

Unique Reference Number EY303169 Inspection date 20 December 2005 Inspector Christine Lynne Hodge

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Grace Neighbourhood Nursery

Setting Address Boxgrove Road, Abbeywood, London, SE2 9JP

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E-mail

Registered person Grace Education Limited Type of inspection Childcare Type of care Full day care

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E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Grace Neighbourhood Nursery was registered and opened in June 2005. It operates from a purpose built building, which is shared with the Sure Start Children's Centre in the grounds of Boxgrove School in Abbeywood in the London Borough of Greenwich. The nursery consists of a baby room and a large group room for children from 2 to 5 years. There is a fully enclosed outside play area. A maximum of 50 children may attend at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 07:30 to 18:00 for 50 weeks of the year. There are currently 42 children, aged from 0 to under 5 years, on roll. The nursery

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 does not currently receive funding for nursery education. Children mainly attend from the local surrounding areas. The nursery employs 10 permanent staff members (8 of whom, including the manager, hold an appropriate early years qualification), plus a pool of bank staff.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. The children's health and their hygiene needs are met consistently, throughout the nursery. A comprehensive health and safety policy ensures that the staff are familiar with and comply with good practice to prevent the spread of infection. The premises are very clean and well maintained. A cleaner is employed to clean the nursery once the children have gone home; whilst the staff ensure that the rooms are kept clean during the day. The staff use anti bacterial spray for cleaning tables and surfaces. They implement effective nappy changing procedures, by using disposable gloves and ensuring that the changing mat is cleaned after each nappy change. The sick child policy ensures that children who are unwell are cared for at home. The children learn about personal hygiene through daily routines, such as washing their hands before meal times and after going to the toilet and cleaning their teeth after

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Helping children to be healthy

meal times. Effective storage of tooth brushes ensures that cross contamination cannot take place. The babies’ emotional development is supported by the staff's caring attitude. The younger babies are able to follow their individual routines for eating, sleeping and playing. The staff use Birth to three matters guidance well, to provide a good range of physical play experiences for babies and young children. A large multi purpose activity gym in the baby room provides the babies with good opportunities to promote their physical development. The toddlers and the older children are taken out in the garden several times during the day. In the garden they enjoy running around in the fresh air and using a range of activities and equipment. The children have access to a range of resources such as scissors, puzzles, pencils and paint brushes to help develop their fine motor skills. The children benefit from a healthy diet. They enjoy varied, well presented, nutritious

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Helping children to be healthy

meals and snacks with water to drink. A vegetarian option is available and meals comply with all special dietary requirements, to ensure the children remain healthy. Menus are displayed for the parents.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The children can play and relax in a safe, warm and welcoming environment. The risk of accidental injury is minimised due to the well designed, newly built setting. The setting has good safety and security precautions in place, to prevent the children from leaving the building unsupervised, or uninvited visitors from entering without

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 permission. The spacious open plan play room for the older children and the baby room provide a lot of space for the children to move freely and safely around. Regularly risk assessments and fire drills contribute to the safety and welfare of the children. The children have safe and easy access to an excellent range of good quality play resources, which are well organised in child-height furniture to encourage independence. The staff talk to the children about staying safe, explaining why they should help clear up toys on the floor, so that the children do not trip over them. This helps the children to take responsibility for keeping themselves safe. The children are well protected. The child protection co-ordinator ensures that procedures are up to date and that the staff understand their responsibilities. The

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

nursery has rigorous procedures in place, to ensure the staff are appropriately vetted and that any new unvetted staff are never left alone with the children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. The staff team provide an excellent range of activities and play opportunities to develop the children's emotional, physical, social and intellectual capabilities. They have a good understanding of the Birth to three matters framework and Foundation Stage and use them to plan a broad range of stimulating experiences for the children. Babies and toddlers receive a lot of attention, as the staff sit on the floor with them and join in their play. They use a good selection of age appropriate toys and activities, to encourage development of early communication skills. The toddlers enjoy a variety of messy activities, such as hand painting and have great fun using the activity gym and playing outside in the garden. The older children play happily together and are confident in making independent choices, in a stimulating child-centred environment. The spacious play room is set

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

out with separate areas for construction, quiet activities, messy and creative play, role play, writing, musical activities and books. During free play time the children move around confidently and independently. They enjoy adult interaction using resources such as puzzles, small world toys, games and creative activities. The staff use these activities to encourage the children's language development and help them to learn colours, numbers and shapes. The children have excellent opportunities for messy and creative play, which enables them to explore and develop their creativity and self expression. They enjoy taking part in games, which help to develop their listening and recognition skills. They also relish their time spent in the well equipped garden using the climbing bridge, tunnel, play house and bikes. During the week the children benefit from various outing to the library, park and local shops, where they help to buy items as part of themed activities and topics.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 The provision is good. All children and families are welcomed into the nursery. There is a good mix of children and staff from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The children learn about the wider world through topics such as Black History Day and the celebration of various festivals. The nursery has many posters, wall displays and play resources, which promote positive images of diversity, but resources promoting special needs and disabilities are less evident. There are no identified children with special needs currently attending the nursery. However, a comprehensive policy is in place, along with a co-ordinator for special needs who has attended training. The staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and use a lot of praise and encouragement to foster the children's self esteem. This results in the children being

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Helping children make a positive contribution

confident, polite and well behaved. They play well together, take turns and show concern for one another. Good relationships with the parents contribute to the children's care and well being. The parents are provided with detailed information packs; they also find up to date information about the nursery in informative notice boards. The babies settle well, because the staff work closely with the parents to ensure that they follow their home routines and continue to share important information on daily record sheets. An effective key worker system ensures continuity of care and stability for both the children and the parents. Many parents have recently completed a questionnaire, providing the nursery with a lot of positive feedback and some recommendations, which the manager is going to address. A complaints procedure is in place.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The Nursery Manager and Proprietor demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of the National Standards and of their ability to meet them. There are rigorous procedures in place, to ensure that a high ratio of suitable staff are employed to care for the children, keeping them healthy and safeguarding their welfare. The children benefit from qualified and experienced practitioners, who work well together as a team to provide a safe, stimulating environment. Effective use of space and play resources result in children being happy, well behaved and well stimulated. A comprehensive operational plan containing a full set of policies and procedures reflects the practice observed and promotes the care and welfare of the children. All necessary documentation and records are in place and contribute to the safe management and effective running of the nursery. The provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since registration. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaint record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • provide play resources which promote special needs and disabilities.

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The quality and standards of the care

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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