YMCA Weston Park Nursery and Pre School

YMCA Weston Park Community Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY330646 Inspection date 24/09/2009 Inspector Marilyn Joy

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Setting address Newtown Road, Weston, Southampton, Hampshire, SO19 9HX Telephone number 023 8043 1186 Email peter.cooper@ymca-fg.org 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

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.

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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

YMCA Weston Park Nursery is a Sure Start Children's Centre. It is funded by Southampton City Council and is managed by the YMCA Fairthorne Group. It is one of a variety of children's enterprises in Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight run by the YMCA Fairthorne group. It opened in 2006 and operates from a purpose- built nursery. It is situated in the Weston area of Southampton. All children share the purpose-built play space and have access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered for a maximum of 32 children under eight years, although it currently only accepts pre-school children from age two. There are 54 children on roll and, of these, 39 children receive funding for nursery education. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also children for whom English is as an additional language. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am until 6pm all year round. There are four full-time and one part-time member of staff who work with the children. All are qualified and some are working towards further qualifications.

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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

The nursery has many outstanding features and provides a challenging, exciting and innovative setting where children's health, safety and personal well-being are effectively promoted. Children's progress and achievements are built on excellent partnerships with parents and good support at all levels of the nursery. Management communicate ambition and drive which is mirrored in staffs' dedication and commitment in carrying out their responsibilities. Improvement is effectively secured through well-targeted actions and development plans.

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further?

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

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further?

 continue to develop assessment arrangements so that children's progression is tracked more effectively against the expectations of the early learning goals so that their next steps for learning are more easily identified in each area  continue to develop staff skills in communicating with children in order to maximise all opportunities to fully extend their learning and independence during daily activities  ensure the register is accurately maintained throughout the day. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Thorough safeguarding arrangements are consistently implemented to ensure children are safe and secure. Staff and management have a clear understanding of their responsibilities to protect children from harm and to deal with safeguarding issues should they arise. Effective risk assessments and safety arrangements ensure potential hazards are minimised. Children are becoming aware of how to manage their own safety through good support from staff. Most of the required documentation is well-organised and in place, although children's attendance is not always accurately completed throughout the day. Fire drills are regularly practised with the children and the efficiency of evacuation procedures ensures all children can be safely evacuated. Robust recruitment and employment systems ensure staff are all suitably qualified, experienced and up-to-date with current childcare practices. They work extremely well together as a team to ensure children are safe

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the early years provision

Excellent measures are in place to actively promote equality and diversity at all levels of the nursery. Extremely positive steps are taken to value all children and to provide them with the right support to help them to make progress. Staff get to know children very well and tailor activities to meet their individual needs. Displays reflect children's home language, makaton signs and values their work. As a result of the high priority given towards promoting equality, partnership with parents is a significant strength. The nursery is continually finding ways to involve and engage parents in their children's learning, the life of the nursery and the importance of supporting their child's ongoing education. Consequently, parents are extremely well-informed and highly satisfied with the care their children receive and approachability of staff. Partnerships with the adjoining school and other agencies

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the early years provision

are very good, although they have yet to be established with other settings that some children attend.

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the early years provision

The nursery has a clear vision to provide children with a secure foundation on which they can build when they go to school with continued support from parents. Management have a very good understanding of the nursery's strengths and weaknesses and have successfully targeted key areas for ongoing development. Highly effective self-evaluation processes combine a number of different methods, including gathering feedback from parents, early years advisors and the local school. Sustained improvement has been achieved since the last inspection with all recommendations being met. Significant improvements to the indoor and outdoor areas have resulted in exciting and innovative play areas that inspire and engage children's interest. As a result they eagerly arrive and are quick to settle at an activity of their choosing. The garden is particularly inspirational and as children spend much of their time outside, healthy activities are encouraged. Outcomes for

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the early years provision

children are extremely positive because of the excellent use of resources and the environment. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are keen to explore and investigate the excellent range of accessible resources and broad range of activities available. They demonstrate curiosity, excitement and enthusiasm as they move confidently around the setting. Time is spent helping new and less confident children to settle and feel comfortable in their surroundings. Close working relationships with parents helps this process and is continued with ongoing arrangements for managing children's care and learning. Children's personal, social and emotional development is given a clear priority. All children are valued and their self-esteem boosted through frequent praise and recognising achievements. Children with special educational needs are encouraged to use makaton and share the signs they know when playing games. Children's home language is valued and they are given time to gain confidence in speaking with others.

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and outcomes for children

New systems have recently been introduced to improve the effectiveness of planning and assessment. Staff are recording more frequent and measurable observations of what children can do and these are linked with each area of learning. They provide a more accurate reflection of what children can do, although their progression is not easily recognised as observations are not clearly tracked against the expectations of the early learning goals and their next steps for learning are only identified in some areas. Each child has their own key worker who gets to know them well and tailors their care and learning according to their individual needs. However, some opportunities are missed to fully extend children's learning during daily routines, for example, encouraging children to work out for themselves how many cups and utensils they need.

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and outcomes for children

Children are encouraged to become independent learners, be involved in planning and choose what they want to do. They spend time with their key worker at the beginning of the session to decide and plan what they would like to do that day, although staff are not yet fully confident with the new system to ensure they get the most out of their discussions. Some children decide they want to build a tree house and create an exciting den amongst the trees in the garden from boxes and fabric. The next day they decide how they want to decorate and what materials they want to use. Some decide they want to write letters and make a post box, whilst others have conversations about the tooth fairy and the importance of cleaning their teeth. Staff value children's ideas and together they record them in their group's planning book. Staff respond well to children's interests and ensure experiences are varied and extensive. Children become engrossed in exploring and

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and outcomes for children

experimenting with different materials, whether it is adding water to sand so they can make a wall outside or investigating the texture of cornflour and water.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health and safety are promoted extremely well. The importance of healthy eating is given a high priority and reinforced daily. Children are involved in growing and harvesting vegetables from the garden and enjoy tasting them at snack time. They quickly develop good personal hygiene routines and older children rarely need to be reminded to wash their hands. Children practise and become skilful in using a wide range of tools and equipment safely. They learn This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 how to use scissors, competently manoeuvre bikes along the path, negotiate the steps on the climbing frame and carefully model shapes in dough. Children develop an excellent understanding of how to behave and the rules of the nursery. Staff help them to learn the consequences of their actions and the importance of thinking of others. Children benefit from well-organised routines and staff who

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and outcomes for children

move seamlessly around ensuring the nursery runs smoothly. 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 1 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 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

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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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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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