Woodpeckers Nursery

Woodpeckers Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 251810 Inspection date 10/12/2009 Inspector Deborah Kerry

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Setting address Melford Road, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 1XT

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Telephone number 01787 377707 Email jeff@woodpeckers-nursery.co.uk 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

Woodpeckers Nursery and After School and Holiday Club is privately owned. It opened in 2001 and operates from an adapted building in Sudbury, Suffolk. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The building is fully accessible.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered to care for a maximum of 69 children at any one time. There are currently 161 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Of these, 30 receive funding for early education. The nursery is open five days a week all year with the exception of a week at Christmas. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. The after school club runs from 3.30pm to 6pm each day during term time and from 8am to 6pm during school holidays. The provider is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery currently employs 25 members of staff. Of these 21 work directly with the children and 20 hold appropriate early years qualifications and several are working towards a higher qualification. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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Description of the setting

Woodpeckers nursery have been awarded the 'Investors in People' award and the 'Quality Assurance' award from Suffolk county council.

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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's welfare, learning and development are mostly promoted well in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) as staff have an good understanding of their individual needs. All children are supported through the close working relationships between staff, parents, carers and other professionals. The nursery has established generally effective systems to review and evaluate their practice to ensure areas for development are identified for the continuous improvement of the good practice.

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further?

To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 request written permission from parents for seeking emergency medical advice or treatment 31/12/2009

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  develop further opportunities for children to use, hear and see their home language in their play and learning.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is effectively promoted as staff have an excellent knowledge and understanding on the nurseries policies and procedures with regard to safeguarding children. There is a clear written policy to follow which includes procedures in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff and local contact details. There are clear, effective procedures for the emergency evacuation in place which is regularly reviewed ensuring children's safety is a high priority. All fire equipment is tested and inspected annually and staff complete a daily checklist before children arrive to ensure that there are no hazards accessible inside or outside. All resources and equipment are cleaned on a regular basis to enhance children's health and safety.

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the early years provision

When children start parents complete an 'all about me' booklet on their child's interests and events in their lives which are shared with staff. This ensures that parents are involved with supporting their child's learning and development. The booklet is then used to plan activities for children's learning to meet their individual needs. The annual open evening provides an opportunity for parents to discuss their child's progress with staff. This further ensures that parents are kept involved with their child's early education. Parents support their children's learning and development further by writing about their achievements at home and displaying them on the 'WOW' board to share with staff. Staff ensure that information about children's home language and key words are obtained from parents. However, children have fewer opportunities to use, hear and see their home language in the setting to help them confidently use their own language outside the home and

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the early years provision

build strong bilingual foundations when learning English. The nursery has developed strong links with several schools in the area and collects children in the mini-bus so they can attend the after school provision to meet the needs of working parents.

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the early years provision

Staff have clear strategies in place to care for children with special educational needs. They work with parents, carers and other agencies to support their needs so that they are included in the activities. The staff work very well together as a cohesive team, presenting positive role models for children. For example, the male staff members are highly effective in supporting children in all areas of their learning and development and reflect equality within a role often associated with women. Staff are effectively deployed so children are safe and supervised at all times. There is a good range of policies and procedures in place for the safe running of the nursery and underpins the good practice at the setting and are shared with parents. These are currently being up-dated to reflect the implementation of the EYFS. Children's records do not currently included written parental permission to seek emergency medical advice or treatment which is a

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the early years provision

requirement. This could compromise children health and welfare in an emergency. All staff are fully supported in their development and further training to enhance This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 their knowledge and promote positive outcomes for children by the owners. The nursery undergoes an annual review to ensure that they meet the standards to maintain their 'Quality Assurance' status.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health is fully promoted as environmental health guidelines are strictly adhered to when preparing snacks and meals. Children enjoy a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables at snack and meal times to effectively promote their health. All children are supported in developing an understanding on personal hygiene, as they wash their hands before eating. There are clear, effective procedures in place for nappy changing which minimises any risk of cross infection and all staff work in partnership with parents to ensure that children's individual care needs and home routines are fully supported. Daily access to large play resources outside ensures that children begin to understand the importance of the benefits of exercise and of healthy lifestyles. Staff prepare the outside play area with a variety of different resources and equipment to promote children's physical skills with large and small equipment.

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and outcomes for children

Staff undertake regular observations on children to record their progress, interests and individual needs, which enables staff to tailor activities to fully support children's learning and development. Children have a positive attitude to learning, they are happy, settled and purposefully engaged. All staff have a good knowledge of the EYFS and all work together to plan a range of stimulating activities, as a result children make good progress in their learning and development. Staff get down to the children's level and mostly offer appropriate support when needed which enhances children's learning and development. Staff are excellent role models for children, they encourage good manners, give clear explanations on expected codes of behaviour which helps to develop their understanding on how to behave well. Children are developing an understanding on the wider world through a range of topics, themes and planned activities. They are taken on regular outings

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and outcomes for children

within the local area to develop their understanding on their environment and the local community.

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and outcomes for children

Staff all plan a wide range of activities to move children onto the next step in their learning to enable them to make good progress in their learning. Staff have a flexible approach to planning, there is a balance of adult and child-led activities which enables children to learn at their own pace. Children are generally provided with a variety of resources for mark-making and to develop their early writing skills. Children enjoy making marks as they paint, draw and colour pictures around topics and their own interests. These are displayed around the nursery, creating a colourful and welcoming setting for all parents and children. Children have access to a range of craft materials and media, for example, they use play dough and malleable bubble foam. This helps children learn about different textures and supports their dexterity as they use a variety of tools to cut, roll and shape the dough. Children have some opportunities to solve problems, for example, they

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and outcomes for children

experiment with volume as they fill and empty containers during water play, they build and create 'castles' with buckets and spades in the sand tray. Children enjoy This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 listening to songs and joining in with singing familiar songs and action rhymes from memory. This helps to promote their thinking and language skills well. They experiment with sounds through playing a variety of musical instruments. 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 2 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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