Young Tots Nursery

Young Tots Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Young Tots Day Nursery

Unique Reference Number 253704 Inspection date 16 September 2005 Inspector Susan Hoult

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Young Tots Day Nursery

Setting Address Limekiln Way, Off Greetwell Road, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN2 4US Telephone number 01522 568468

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E-mail

Registered person Lyn Young Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

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E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Young tots Day Nursery opened in 1986. It is privately owned, and run, by the manager. It operates from a purpose built building on the outskirts of Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The nursery has two main rooms, one for babies with a sleep area and a larger room for older children. This room has two smaller rooms leading from it which are used for activities and as a second sleep area. There is a large enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery serves the city of Lincoln and the surrounding

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 villages. It is open from 08.00 to 17.30, Monday to Friday throughout the year apart from Bank Holidays. A maximum of 42 children aged from birth to under 8 years may attend the nursery at any one time. School-age children only attend on an occasional basis in the holidays. There are currently 45 children on roll, of whom 9 receive funding for nursery education. The nursery supports children who have special needs and who speak English as an additional language. There are 6 full-time members of staff and 6 part-time staff who work regularly with the children. The manager and 8 staff are trained to NVQ level 3 and 1 member of staff is trained to NVQ level 2 and is working towards a NVQ3 early years qualification. The provision receives support from the local authority. It is a member

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

of the National Day Nursery Association.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's good health is promoted by staff who effectively follow the provision's health and hygiene procedures. Children learn the importance of good hygiene through daily routines and discussions with staff. Older children take personal responsibility for hygiene as they wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating, 'because of germs', and using tissues to blow their noses. Babies are relaxed during nappy changes because staff perform these in a comfortable and caring manner. Children have their health and dietary needs met because practitioners work well with parents. Children enjoy a healthy, varied diet and are well nourished. Special dietary needs are clearly displayed to remind staff as they provide snacks and meals. Older children help themselves to drinks as they wish whilst younger children are offered them regularly to ensure they are not thirsty. Babies and children enjoy outdoor play everyday as long as the weather is suitable.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children understand they have to have sun cream applied and wear hats to go outside. Children enjoy a good range of energetic physical experiences and have fun whilst developing their hand-eye co-ordination and large muscle skills. However, older children do not have regular access to large climbing equipment to further extend these skills. Children are aware of when they are tired and happily rest and sleep according to their needs. Babies and young children's emotional well-being, growth and development are promoted through the close warm and supportive relationships they form with the staff that care for them. They feel safe to express their feelings in the supportive environment.

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Helping children to be healthy

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a bright, airy, welcoming, secure and safe indoor and outdoor environment. Effective procedures are in place to ensure only legitimate people come into contact with the children. Children move around the provision safely as staff minimise all risks, for example, by having hinge-protectors fitted on doors and ensuring electrical sockets are covered. Children are protected when using physical play equipment outside as staff ensure it is used on the large impact absorbing surface. Children use a variety of good quality, developmentally appropriate resources many of which are organised at child height to encourage independent access. They learn to take responsibility for keeping themselves safe through daily routines and staff skilfully explaining safe practices. For example, staff gently remind children not to run inside and to pick up items dropped on the floor to prevent other children from falling

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

and hurting themselves. Children are well protected from possible abuse or neglect as the staff are aware of their responsibilities, have a good understanding of possible signs and know the procedure to follow if they have concerns.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. All children are confident and enthusiastic. Their needs are met effectively through staff's sensitive interactions that promote their self-esteem. Children enjoy participating in a good range of activities that stimulate their learning. Babies form strong bonds with the staff who care for them. Their transition, from approximately twenty months to two years, from the baby room to the main room is carefully planned to ensure they remain secure and happy. Activities in the baby room are diverse, catering for baby’s, and toddler’s, continually changing needs. Some activities such as circle time involve all the children with good staff support. For example, a young baby smiles and enjoys watching others happily and enthusiastically waving and singing the ‘hello’ song which welcomes children, staff and visitors to the nursery. Staff are developing their awareness of the ‘Birth to three

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

matters’ framework and are applying this well in practice to support children's development. Planned training will further develop their knowledge and understanding for the benefit of all children aged under three. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. The staff have a sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage and understand the different ways children learn. Children happily join in activities encouraged by staff who lead by example. Planning links to the stepping stones and provides children with a broad and balanced range of activities and experiences across the six areas of learning. Staff generally support children’s learning well. However, assessments and evaluations of children's learning are not used effectively to plan next steps learning and record sufficient differentiation on plans. Therefore, children do not always receive enough challenge

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 to extend their learning appropriately. Children are able to freely explore everyday items and learn through practical play. They design and make using a variety of man-made and natural materials from which they help themselves. However, the use of items such as magnifying glasses, although readily available, is not always encouraged to help children make sense of their environment and develop their curiosity further. Children use talk well to communicate with others, organise play and express their feelings. Children enjoy listening to, and telling stories and handle books well although opportunities are missed for more able children to link sounds to letters, write their own names and attempt writing for a variety of purposes on a regular basis. Children enjoy number rhymes and count well by rote, whilst children that are more

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

able recognise some numbers and count beyond 10. They know the names of many colours and common shapes and use some mathematical language in play. Children enjoy creative play, especially music, and are involved in a variety of role play situations relating to themes which helps consolidate their learning. They are gaining a good awareness of their bodies, how exercise affects them and the importance of a healthy diet. They develop good levels of hand eye co-ordination and small muscle skills through a variety of activities such as threading and using scissors to cut paper and wool for free collage.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are warmly welcomed and feel a sense of belonging as they take an active part in the life of the nursery. They move freely between activities, know where things belong and are comfortable with routines. Babies bond well with the consistent staff and therefore feel secure. Children's self-esteem and respect for others is promoted by staff who know them well and value them as individuals. Children with special needs and those who speak English as an additional language are fully involved in the nursery as staff work closely with parents to fully meet these children's individual needs. Children become aware of their own and other cultures through resources, topic work and the sensitive use of books and stories that promotes positive images of culture, ethnicity, gender and disability. They celebrate a variety of festivals such as Christmas, Chinese New Year and Diwali and benefit from visitors

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Helping children make a positive contribution

sharing aspects of their differing cultures with them. Children are polite and behave well. The staff use positive, sensitive strategies for managing behaviour. This helps children learn to understand behaviour boundaries, have a growing understanding of how their behaviour may affect others and play together harmoniously. Children are kind to others, for example, older children help younger children learn routines and gently take them by the hand to move from one area of the main room to the other for activities such as circle time. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Partnership with parents and carers is satisfactory. Children are cared for by staff who work with parents extremely well to meet individual children’s care needs and

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Helping children make a positive contribution

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 ensure they are included fully in the life of the setting. Parents speak highly of the nursery and say that their children are well settled and are keen to attend. Although parents are encouraged to contribute items towards topics and share their skills and experience with the children they are not all aware of the Foundation Stage or their children's progress towards the early learning goals.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The manager and staff are enthusiastic, have a high regard for and value all children and therefore consistently promote their well-being. The staff present as good role models for children and work as a committed team under the leadership of the manager. The effective deployment of staff and their clear understanding of their individual roles ensure that children are actively supervised and well supported. This helps children remain safe, maintain an interest in their play and behave well. Although all the required policies and procedures are in place they do not all reflect the good practice in the nursery and are currently being reviewed. Children's attendance is accurately recorded for use in case of an emergency, however, staff attendance records do not clearly show when they are on the premises. The majority of staff have current first aid certificates and are therefore

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Organisation

able to respond appropriately to any accidents. Although staff have parental permission to administer prescribed medication which requires technical knowledge they have not yet received training. The quality of leadership and management of the nursery education is satisfactory. The manager and staff are committed to continue improving the care and education for children. They are working hard to do this and are currently introducing a new planning framework. Monitoring systems are in place, however, they are not yet effective in fully identifying the provision's strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, although staff attend a variety of training, few courses are identified to specifically support those working with the funded children. Overall, the nursery meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last inspection, a recorded procedure for induction has been developed ensuring all staff receive a full induction. The outings policy now outlines the procedures that will be followed should the nursery take children on outings. Opportunities for children to develop their independence and self-select resources have increased which helps raise levels of confidence and self-esteem. Two staff have attended a course relating to mathematical development within the Foundation Stage and are implementing what they have learnt to help children develop their mathematical skills. Differentiation is now included in planning but is not yet fully effective in ensuring more able children receive appropriate challenges.

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Improvements since the last inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • make sure staff's actual times of attendance are clearly recorded • ensure suitable training is provided for staff when the administration of a prescribed medication requires technical or medical knowledge.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • develop the use of assessments and evaluation of individual children's progress to more effectively inform planning to increase the challenge to build on more able children's experiences • review the information given to parents to ensure that all parents are aware of the Foundation Stage, how their children are progressing towards the early learning goals and how they can contribute towards written assessments • further develop monitoring systems to assess strengths and weaknesses and evaluate staff's training needs.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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