Harpurhey Neighbourhood NurseryOfsted inspection, 11 Sept 2009

Harpurhey Neighbourhood Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY302356 Inspection date 11/09/2009 Inspector Shirley Leigh Monks-Meagher

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Setting address Harpurhey Sure Start Children's Centre, North City Family and Fitness Centre, Upper Conran Street, Harpurhey, Manchester, M9 4DA Telephone number 0161 277 1927 Email Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 08456 404040, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 08456 404040 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk 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

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Harpurhey Neighbourhood Nursery was registered in 2005. It is owned and staffed by The Manchester College. It operates from one large room divided to accommodate children by age and stage of development. This room is within the Harpurhey Children's Centre which is situated in North City Family and Fitness Centre. There is access to secure outdoor play for children of all ages. The nursery provides full and part-time care for children in the early years range. It is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm. The nursery closes for two weeks at Christmas and all statutory holidays

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 32 children may attend at any one time. There are currently 35 children aged from six months to four years on roll. The children are drawn from the local area and wider community. The nursery currently supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

There are nine staff who work with the children and a cook. All the staff who work with the children hold appropriate early years qualifications equivalent to levels 3 or 4. The nursery benefits from advice and support from Sure Start advisors and a children's centre teacher.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are settled, secure and enjoy their time at the nursery. The setting provides them with generally effective learning opportunities and efficiently promotes their welfare. The effective links with parents and others form strong working partnerships that ensure all children's needs are successfully met because each child is respected and valued as a unique individual. The setting effectively identifies its strengths and areas for development, however, the steps it takes are not always prioritised effectively to improve outcomes for the children who attend.

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further?

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

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further?

 devise an effective system to monitor the educational programme and ensure it covers all aspects of children's learning  review the outdoor learning environment with regard to the six areas of learning and development including children's opportunity to freely access the area and staff interaction. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Management and staff work well together to successfully promote children's welfare and effectively enable them to make good progress in their learning and development. The safe and efficient management of the setting is supported by well organised, comprehensive documentation which supports most aspects of children's individual needs and safety. Staff demonstrate a secure knowledge of how to safeguard the children in their care. They are trained in child protection issues and clearly understand the procedures to follow should they have concerns about a child. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures are enhanced by rigorous staff induction, individual support sessions and annual appraisal to maintain suitability. The management and staff are highly committed to their professional development and their good practice can clearly be traced in the training they have undertaken. Clear, frequent risk assessment ensures staff take effective action to

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the early years provision

manage and eliminate identified risks at the setting and when they take children on outings.

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the early years provision

The nursery demonstrates a commitment to continual improvement. They have examined and evaluated all areas of their practice realistically by using input from staff, children, parents and findings from other quality checks. The recommendations from their previous inspections have been addressed well and have had a significant impact on the outcomes for children. The self-evaluation process they undertook accurately recognises their strengths and identifies where development is required. Action plans have been drawn up, however, the prioritising of some issues and actions to improve the outcomes for children attending now is less successful. For example, the outdoor learning environment was highlighted as an area for development. Funding has been secured to refurbish the outdoor play area in 2010 but whilst the setting are waiting for this to happen independent learning opportunities for children outdoors are limited.

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the early years provision

Children's outdoor experiences are linked mainly to physical development and take place before lunch.

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the early years provision

Successful systems enable staff to know children well and ensure all children are included. Information relating to their care, development stage, likes and dislikes and background is sought from parents and carers initially and forms a starting point for children and ensures their individual needs are met. Frequent observation and assessment is used effectively by staff to build on children's individual knowledge, abilities and skills and move them on. Staff supplement their assessments with ongoing information from parents. However, there is no monitoring system in place to ensure all aspects of the learning areas are given appropriate attention. The nursery works closely with parents and other agencies to ensure each child get the additional support they need to promote achievements and well-being. They liaise closely with other Early Years providers in the area to ensure continuity of learning and care for children and are proactive in narrowing

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the early years provision

the gap for children by giving high priority to personal, social and emotional development and communication skills.

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the early years provision

High priority is given to working in partnership with parents who are provided with This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 good, clear information about the provision through a variety of means, such as verbally, displays, notice boards, policies and procedures, daily diary sheets and their child's learning journeys. The nursery regularly seeks parents' and carers' views. New parents confirm how well they are informed about practices, procedures and expectations and how the nursery want to know about their children. Parents commend the warm welcome they and their children receive from friendly staff who respect their views and wishes.

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and outcomes for children

The staff team have a secure knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements and effectively promote children's learning, social, physical and economic well-being. The staff keep records which clearly highlight what a child knows, understands and can do and identify future learning. Key workers effectively take responsibility for using this information, additional observations from parents and identified interests to plan enjoyable and challenging experiences for each child.

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and outcomes for children

The indoor environment is warm and welcoming and organised to encourage children to make choices. Accessible resources are clearly marked with pictures and text to identify the contents. Children know what is available and where to find things and confidently select items or equipment to initiate or extend their own play. The outdoor environment is less accessible to children. The access door is kept closed so children only play outdoors at prescribed times. Indoors, well deployed staff interact and support children effectively and as a result the children are actively involved in meaningful play and developing positive attitudes to their learning. However, during outdoor play children do not benefit from the same level of interaction because some staff supervise rather than support learning. This results in children being less engaged.

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and outcomes for children

Children are developing a sense of belonging. Resources and toys reflect their individual backgrounds and the wider community. Children know where to put their belongings and samples of their work are prominently displayed on walls. They are becoming confident communicators. Older children use language well to describe their actions when making musical instruments. Younger children are beginning to vocalise and experiment with sounds in response to stimulus from staff or interesting resources. Staff use a number of strategies to ensure all children's communication skills are given high priority. For example, they use expression, gestures, key words, pictures, action cards and signs ensuring all children are included. Meaningful opportunities are provided to help children develop mark- making skills and understand the value of the written word. Children listen to stories where they are eager to join in and predict events and some are busy

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and outcomes for children

marking down appointments in the hairdressing role-play. Children explore and experiment and are able to discover for themselves. They mix paint and water to see what happens and plant and nurture carrots, tomatoes and peppers. Younger children handle shells, cones and an abundance of fabrics as they learn using their senses. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children are learning to share resources and play cooperatively. They work together to build train tracks and make a wall using large cardboard boxes. A child comforts another and finds him a pair of scissors from the rack when another child has taken the ones he had been using but put down. Well organised routines within the setting give children a sense of security and an effective key worker system enables them to build trusting relationships with significant adults. They are developing an understanding of dangers and how to stay safe. For example,

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and outcomes for children

they handle small tools safely, such as scissors, knives, trowels and hole punches. Children are developing a good understanding of healthy eating; they competently serve themselves nutritious meals from tureens using large serving spoons and are learning about portion size to meet their own needs. Overall children are busy at their play, developing positive relationships and are well behaved. 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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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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and managed?

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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Stage

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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