Amersham Hospital Day Nursery

Amersham Hospital Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Unique reference number EY260961 Inspection date 20/01/2010 Inspector Susan Mary Deadman / Keriann Belcher

p.1

Setting address Amersham Hospital, Whielden Street, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 0JD Telephone number 01494 734 251 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 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

p.1

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

p.2

T: 0300 123 1231 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

p.2

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.

p.3

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).

p.3

Introduction

Children only attend this setting before and/or after the school day and/or during the school holidays. The judgements in this report reflect the quality of early years provision offered to children during those periods.

p.3

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.

p.3

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

p.3

Description of the setting

Amersham Hospital Day Nursery is one of two daycare settings and one out of school setting within the Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust. The setting opened over 20 years ago and is registered on the Early Years Register and both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery is registered for a maximum of 80 children within the early years age group, 35 of whom may be under the age of two years. There are currently 74 children from eight months to under five years on roll. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and English as an additional language.

p.4

Description of the setting

The nursery is open Monday to Friday from 7.15am to 6.00pm throughout the year, except Bank Holidays and two staff training days. It operates from purpose built premises situated within the grounds of Amersham General Hospital in Old Amersham. The nursery primarily serves children whose parents work for Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust but a number of places are available to children living in the local area.

p.4

Description of the setting

There are a total of six playrooms used to care for children, four sleep rooms, two kitchens, an office, staff room, plus both staff and children's toilet facilities. There is a secure enclosed children's outside play area.

p.4

Description of the setting

There are currently 21 staff who work with the children. Of these, seven hold a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at Level 2 and of these, three are working towards Level 3. There are 14 staff qualified to NVQ Level 3. The setting receives support from the local authority.

p.4

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

p.4

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children benefit from the strong leadership and management of the setting and the commitment of staff to provide a wide variety of stimulating play activities. Staff's secure knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework ensures that children make good progress in their learning and stay safe within the well-organised, secure environment. The provision has a high capacity to maintain continuous improvement and has identified their key strengths and areas for development. The effective partnership with parents ensures that each child's needs are met as they receive warm and caring support.

p.4

further?

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

p.4

further?

 ensure issues identified within risk assessment are acted upon, with particular regard to sleep mattresses This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  extend children's knowledge and understanding of different needs.

p.4

the early years provision

Stringent recruitment and induction procedures are in place and ensure that staff undertake all the appropriate reference checks prior to working with children. Robust staff induction procedures promote children's welfare. Staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of child protection issues and referral procedures, which further promotes children's safety. There are effective procedures in place to regularly reinforce the staff's knowledge and understanding of good practice. The nursery closes for staff training days and staff participate in related quizzes during regular staff meetings.

p.5

the early years provision

All the required policies and procedures for the safe management of children are in place. For example, a comprehensive complaints procedure ensures that relevant information is shared with parents and accident and medication records contain the required detail. Risk assessments are completed on a regular basis with one member of staff taking the main lead for health and safety. This person is accompanied on regular safety checks by various other staff which ensures their familiarity with procedures. Staff are aware of their responsibility to report any concerns and a record of issues is maintained. The staff and children practise the emergency evacuation routine and record basic details. Equipment is generally very safe and well maintained, however sleep mattresses are in need of repair as they are torn, exposing the foam inside them. Staff minimise this potential hazard by placing a cover over the mattress.

p.5

the early years provision

The nursery has a strong partnership with parents and good working relationships have been established. Parents are kept well informed about their children's achievement, well-being and development. Particularly beneficial to the children is the nursery's settling in process which enables both children and parents to feel confident within the setting. This allows staff plenty of time to find out about children's individual backgrounds and needs. Staff work with parents and other agencies to ensure children receive the support they need. Children make good progress in their development as a result of the well-planned environment. The effective partnership with other professionals benefits the children's development. For example, the nursery make children's records available to their new class teachers to facilitate a cohesive transition to school.

p.5

the early years provision

The management team consistently communicate well with staff to secure improvement. They monitor the effectiveness of the setting and bring their findings to room leaders who in turn discuss any issues with staff. The opinion and knowledge of staff is valued and as a result appropriate changes are made to the self-evaluation. The procedures are effective and bring about changes which benefit children. The recommendations from the previous inspection have been acted upon and as a result children now have more free flow play and child initiated activities. This supports children's independence and promotes their continued interest in activities. Good management skills benefit the outcomes to children as they facilitate staff's ability to further develop aspects of the curriculum This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 to support children's learning. Six focus groups have been set up to enable staff to

p.5

the early years provision

gather information from training and use this to extend the provision in areas such as information and communication technology, stories and garden play. The effectiveness of the outcomes to children is evident as children make very good progress, in these as well as other areas of development.

p.6

and outcomes for children

Children arrive at the nursery eager to join in and very much enjoy 'signing in' along with their parents. They are confident and sociable and gain much pleasure in talking about home situations or activities they have taken part in. Children's behaviour is very good partly due to staff's positive behaviour management strategies and the fact that they are kept stimulated throughout the day. Minor disputes are dealt with in a way which teaches children right from wrong and encourages them to think about others. Children's confidence in staff supports their positive self-esteem and provides them with reassurance. Staff remind children how to keep themselves safe during their play, which supports children's understanding of general safety issues.

p.6

and outcomes for children

Children derive much benefit from plenty of fresh air and exercise. The organisation of play rooms offers children the facility of free flow in and outdoor play. Staff encourage children to adopt good hygiene procedures and the child initiated snack times develop children's understanding in relation to the bodily needs for food and drink. These good daily routines support children's understanding of how to develop a healthy lifestyle.

p.6

and outcomes for children

The high ratio of qualified and experienced staff has a positive impact on the outcomes for children. They play in an environment which is stimulating and conducive to their learning and as a result make good progress. Staff promote children's vacation skills for a variety of interesting activities. For example children are familiar with the story of Little Red Riding Hood and act this out to role-play. They have great fun being chased by the large glove puppet wolf held by a member staff and as she carefully chases after them a long grey tail dangles, much to the children's excitement.

p.6

and outcomes for children

Children are beginning to gain an awareness of other languages and sing several songs in French. Through these songs they learn the words for various body parts and colours. Younger children very much enjoy musical movement and enthusiastically march around to the song of Old MacDonald's Farm and are proficient at flapping around like chickens, paddling like ducks and trotting like horses.

p.6

and outcomes for children

Children have several opportunities to develop their pre-writing skills. They write their names on artwork, draw on outside boards with chalk and make lists in the role play areas. Children's interest in the world around them is supported by staff who provide additional resources. For example, children hunt for mini-beasts in the garden using their binoculars and take fishing nets to local water areas. Planed topics, such as people who help us and Chinese New Year, develop children's This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 understanding of others. Children have access to some multicultural resources although resources depicting positive images of disability are limited.

p.6

and outcomes for children

Staff make good use of observation and assessment to evaluate children's progress and plan for the next steps of their learning. These records clearly identify children's attainments and how staff will support children's development. Children greatly benefit from staff's commitment to use children's interests to generate future planning. This ensures activities engage and enhance children's enthusiasm for specific topics. Children and parents very much enjoy sharing the contents of children's individual photograph albums which contain a vast amount of pictures of the children during their play activities. Staff also encourage parents to provide photos of their families and this provides a warm connection between the nursery and home. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.7

Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

p.8

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

p.8

children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

p.8

and managed?

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 2 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

p.8

Stage

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

p.8

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 2

p.8

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

p.8

Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

p.9

Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

p.9