Harbertonford Church of England Primary School

Dolphins Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 113462 Inspection date 04/11/2009 Inspector Daphne Prescott / Shan Gwendoline Jones

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Setting address 73 Chesswood Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 2AB

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Telephone number 01903 537755 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 . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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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

Dolphins Day Nursery is a privately owned. It opened in 1987 and it operates from within a large, semi-detached property in Worthing, West Sussex. All children share access to a secure, enclosed, outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 54 children aged from 6 weeks to under 8 years may attend the setting at any one time. There are currently 41 children on roll in the early years age group, children attend different times of the week. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 6:00pm for 52 weeks of the year, excluding bank holidays. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The setting is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four years.

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Description of the setting

They employ 11 staff, 10 of the staff, including the manager, hold appropriate early years qualifications. Five members of staff are working towards an early years qualification.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is inadequate.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children's welfare is not safeguarded sufficiently as the setting does not ensure that appropriate hygiene procedures are complete and followed by staff. This significantly affects the ability of the setting to protect children from cross- infection. The risk assessment documentation required in order to meet the safety needs of the children is not fully in place. Children make suitable progress in their learning and development as they are engaged in a satisfactory range of activities. Their individual needs are being met because staff build positive relationships with parents/carers. The setting has started to implement systems to evaluate their own practice. However, these are not sufficiently well established to ensure continuous improvements are made. The provider is aware of the need to develop the quality of the provision and address the weaknesses identified to improve outcomes for the children.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall, the early years provision requires significant improvement. The registered person is given a Notice to Improve that sets out actions to be carried out.

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further?

To comply with the requirements of the EYFS the registered person must take the following action by the specified date:

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further?

 improve the risk assessment with regard to the visitors 04/11/2009 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 to the setting and maintain a record of these particular aspects and when and by whom they have been checked and implement any findings (Suitable premises, environment & equipment)  undertake a risk assessment for each and every outing (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 04/11/2009

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further?

 take action to minimise the risk of cross infection to children in relation to the cleaning of the nursery; nappy changing; hand washing routines and storage of the children's bed linen (Promoting good health). 04/11/2009

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further?

To improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 improve the orgainsation and children's independence at snack times, allowing children to serve themselves  improve the organisation of the children's resources to ensure that they gain more learning opportunities  improve staff's knowledge and understanding of how to extend children's learning  review the systems for monitoring children's sleep times  develop the outdoor play to fully incorporate the six areas of learning.

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the early years provision

Although the setting ensures that safety measures are in place when, for example, the book bus visits the setting, children's welfare is not adequately protected as visitors to the setting have not been included in the record of risk assessment, to ensure children are not exposed to unnecessary risks. This is a breach of a specific legal requirement. The setting is aware of safety when on outings with the children, such as teaching them to cross roads safely when visiting the library. They have in place a record of some risk assessment for outings. However, they have not carried out a full risk assessment for each individual outing that the children take part in. This is a breach of a specific legal requirement.

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the early years provision

The premises are secure as security measures are efficient and prevent unauthorised access to the setting. For example, a buzzer security system is in place at the entrance of the nursery. Staff have a satisfactory understanding of recognising signs and symptoms of abuse and the procedures to follow with concerns, which helps to safeguard children. Satisfactory policies and procedures are in place to support the running of the setting, which include appropriate recruitment and vetting procedures to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Staff use most records, such as daily attendance sheets, incident and accident reports to help support children's health and safety. However, although children are checked at sleep times staff do not consistently record the times that children are checked and this compromises their safety.

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the early years provision

Children have access to a satisfactory range of toys and resources that help towards meeting the learning and developmental needs. However, the range of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 resources offered limit children's play experiences and do not provide sufficient choice to encourage independent learning. For example, children have wooden pegs to use with the weighing scales; there are no other materials easily available to help them understand, for example, heavy and light when weighing different materials. Furthermore, staff lack a full understanding of how to engage the children in purposeful discussion or challenge their thinking to extend their learning by questioning children at appropriate times. For example, they do not ask open- ended questions so that children when using the weighing scales begin to talk about different qualities and introduce words such as 'enough', 'more' and 'how

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the early years provision

Parents and carers are welcomed into the nursery and they are encouraged to share information about their child to enable positive working relationships to develop. They have open access to their child's development file and relevant information is sought when a child starts to ensure continuity of care is provided. The setting promotes inclusive practice, children make equal progress because their individual needs are taken into account and they are encouraged equally to access the play opportunities on offer. Parents are provided with suitable information about the setting such as newsletters and the parent notice board. Staff are also available to discuss children's progress with parents. Parents' comments indicate they are happy with the service provided. Partnerships with other agencies are in place and staff value the input from other professionals. Any additional support is identified to ensure that the individual needs of the children

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the early years provision

are met appropriately. Staff are beginning to develop links with other settings that the children attend, to ensure that children receive continuity in their care and learning.

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the early years provision

The provider has started to implement a system of self-evaluation. However, this is not effective in ensuring improvements are continuously made to improve outcomes for children. The setting has adequately addressed the recommendations set at the last inspection. Although, the provider is aware that the heuristic play equipment for the baby room still requires further development, to provide children with more opportunities to develop their senses by using natural materials such as wood, shells and fabrics.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health is compromised as the setting fails to ensure that suitable hygiene routines are carried out by staff to prevent the risk of cross infection. This is because some areas of the nursery are not cleaned hygienically; storage of the children's bed linen is not appropriate and staff do not consistently wear gloves when changing children's nappies. Furthermore, children's understanding about developing a healthy lifestyle is not promoted because the routine for hand washing at meal times is not organised effectively to ensure all children have washed their hands. Some children go unnoticed and staff are unaware that they have not washed their hands to prevent the risk of infection.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy a satisfactory variety of home-cooked, freshly prepared meals and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 snacks. At meal times staff sit with children in small groups and at times they encourage children's social skills. However, snack time for the older children is at times quite chaotic as practices such as enabling them to walk around whilst eating their toast do not enable them to develop strategies to keep themselves safe. Furthermore, although children’s independence is generally fostered, this is not routinely the case at snack times. They do not regularly have the opportunity to serve themselves with their food or pour their own drinks. Children have access to drinking water throughout the day, which helps to ensure they do not get thirsty.

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and outcomes for children

Children are generally happy and settled in their environment and are starting to demonstrate a sense of belonging. The key person system and settling-in procedure is individual to each child so that they are beginning to happily separate from their parents/carers. Children are generally well-behaved; they know what is expected of them because boundaries are consistently applied by staff. They are praised for their efforts and achievements, which supports their self-esteem. Furthermore, children learn what is expected if they have to leave the premises in an emergency as they take part in regular evacuation practices.

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and outcomes for children

Children make satisfactory progress in their learning and development because staff plan a range of suitable activities. Their progress towards the early learning goals is consistently monitored and recorded by staff in their learning journals. These records are used to identify next steps in learning for individual children and form the basis of weekly planning. Staff provide some opportunities for children to make choices. For example, they can select their own materials from the craft boxes, which enables them to express themselves creatively and explore textures, such as sand and water play. They are beginning to developing skills for the future as they write for a variety of purposes, they enjoy writing poems for a competition as they write about 'Me and My family'. Children enjoy listening to an adult reading a story and have fun singing their favourite nursery songs, developing children's language development. Equality is promoted by raising children's awareness

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and outcomes for children

through celebrating special events, for instance, enjoying foods from other countries. Visits from the local community police officer introduce children to people in the community who help them. They have daily opportunities to use the outdoor space for play, benefiting from the fresh air and exercise. Children are increasing their physical skills as they steer bikes and zoom around the garden, and play football with a member of staff, kicking the ball to each other. However, the outdoor area is in need of development to fully incorporate the six areas of learning to enhance children’s learning opportunities outdoors. Babies receive lots of cuddles and individual attention to promote positive attachments. They have a large amount of clear floor space to enable them to move around and freely select from a satisfactory range of age-appropriate toys and equipment. Babies enjoy looking at soft picture books with staff and are delighted as they lift the flaps to

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and outcomes for children

see what was hidden. 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 4 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 4 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 4 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 4 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 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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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report in relation to risk assessment (Suitability and Safety of Premises and Equipment) (also applies to the voluntary part of the Childcare Register) 04/11/2009

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report in relation to risk assessment (Suitability and Safety of Premises and Equipment) 04/11/2009

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