Parkfield Nursery

Parkfield Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 317393 Inspection date 13/10/2009 Inspector Stephen Andrew Blake

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Setting address 143 Dalston Road, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA2 5PG

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Telephone number 01228 543 034 Email hooper.parkfield@virgin.net 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

Parkfield Nursery was established in 1984 and is located within a large Victorian semi-detached building in Carlisle. The Nursery is registered on the Early Years Register, and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Children have access to the whole of the ground floor except the kitchen. The nursery has a large rear yard, side and front gardens available to children for outdoor play. A maximum of 28 children may attend the nursery at any one time. Parkfield Nursery is open from 8.30am to 5.30pm each weekday for 49 weeks of the year.

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Description of the setting

Parkfield Nursery has entered into partnership arrangements with local schools and child care providers. There are currently 72 children on roll and of these, all are within the early years age group. The nursery serves children from the immediate and extended areas and supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

Parkfield Nursery is privately owned and managed and employs a total of 12 staff including an administrator and domestic staff. Nine staff work directly with children and of these, all staff hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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Description of the setting

The setting is a member of the National Day Nursery Association.

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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

Staff have a thorough knowledge and understanding of each child’s individual needs and promote all aspects of children’s welfare very effectively. Staff demonstrate outstanding practice in helping children to adopt healthy lifestyles. They have established a strong partnership with parents and there are effective links with other childcare and education providers to ensure continuity of care. This enables all children to make good progress. Staff have organised the learning environment effectively and have a thorough system of planning to ensure children receive a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities. Systems for observation and assessment of children’s progress under the Early Years Foundation Stage are implemented effectively and identify the next steps in children’s learning. Risk assessments are reviewed regularly and ensure that children are safe and secure at all times. Staff have started to identify aspects of

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

their provision they would like to develop further and this commitment to ongoing self-evaluation demonstrates an appropriate capacity to maintain continuous improvement.

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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  review the system for obtaining information about children's learning and developmental starting points in order to further develop the system for observing and assessing children's progress towards the early learning goals. ensure the first aid boxes have appropriate content to meet the needs of children, with regard to the out of date items  develop the system of self-evaluation to ensure that a programme of continuing professional development is applied.

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the early years provision

There is a strong emphasis on safeguarding. Policies and procedures necessary to safeguard children’s welfare are well-written and implemented effectively by all staff. Vetting procedures ensure that all staff working with children are suitable to do so. Documentation relating to children's individual needs and care routines is well-maintained and reflect a high level of confidentiality. Written risk assessments are comprehensive across the provision and are generally robust. However, each of the four first aid kits contain out of date items.

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the early years provision

Staff are well qualified and work effectively together as a team. They are clear about their roles and responsibilities and have a strong commitment to continual professional development. Staff have a good understanding of the setting’s strengths and weaknesses. Regular staff meetings and daily discussions mean that systems to monitor and improve their practice and the outcomes for children are generally robust. The setting has started to establish a written system of self- evaluation in which all staff contribute ideas and suggestions for improvement and further development. However, the system of self-evaluation is not fully in place and this means that identified areas for improvement are sometimes delayed. Resources are well deployed across the nursery and this enables children to make good progress in their learning and development. A robust key person system ensures that all staff have a thorough understanding of children’s individual needs.

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the early years provision

Staff have a good partnership with parents. Parents are fully valued as partners and are confident in the ability of staff to meet the individual needs of their child. They report a secure and loving relationship between children and the dedicated staff. The key person system is effective and parents know who to go to if they have a concern. Staff understand children’s home circumstances and provide appropriate and sensitive support whilst maintaining a high standard of confidentiality. Written questionnaires are used effectively to identify parents' views and staff act upon the feedback received. Consistent and inclusive systems of communication with all parents, result in a strong partnership and engagement. Staff provide parents with written policies and procedures and a good range of information about children’s learning and development. They have established effective links with other childcare and education providers to ensure that

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the early years provision

children's needs are met and there is continuity in their learning.

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the early years provision

Staff promote inclusion effectively, for example, by displaying signs and familiar words in different languages and positive images of cultural diversity and disability. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 This helps to give children and families a sense of belonging and of being valued. The setting actively promotes equality of opportunity and works with parents and other agencies to support and meet individual children’s needs. They are vigilant and proactive to ensure that all children are fully included. For example, by working in partnership with parents and health care professionals to address children's specific health care needs. Staff have organised the available space very well to ensure that each child is fully included according to their ability and stage of development.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have created a calm, welcoming environment and have effectively organised the three playrooms to provide a good range of resources according to children’s ages and stages of development. Staff have made significant progress in developing the outdoor area and making it more accessible to children as part of their continuous provision. This is well-designed and further enables children to make good progress across all areas of learning and development. For example, children use writing and craft materials in the sheltered outdoor areas to develop their literacy, creative and physical skills. Inside, they examine the texture of leaves as they make a collage, use information technology to complete puzzles and take delight in listening to stories. This supports children’s learning and development across all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff ensure that resources are accessible and this supports children to make their own choices

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and outcomes for children

and promote their independence and self-esteem. During activities staff stimulate children’s thinking effectively by asking a good range of questions to support their learning. For example, as children fix their hand-made flags to the outdoor railings, staff ask questions relating to height and length. This supports children’s numeracy, problem solving and reasoning skills. Staff have a secure understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and have established an effective system of planned, purposeful play, with a balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities. An effective key person system ensures there are efficient methods for observation and assessment and that staff can identify the next steps in children’s learning. However, staff have not yet implemented a system for identifying the starting points in children’s learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have a loving and caring relationship with children who form strong attachments to adults and other children within the nursery. All staff apply clear and consistent boundaries, so that children develop knowledge of what is expected and display positive behaviour. Staff know individual children well and provide them with a good level of sensitive and appropriate support.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy their time at Parkfield Nursery. They take pleasure in listening to stories and are creative in their play, for example, when dressing as a police officer and improvising with a range of resources to make hand-cuffs. Staff support children to use a wide range of equipment and tools safely, for example, when rolling and shaping malleable materials and when cutting and mixing ingredients at snack time. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children understand how to keep themselves safe from harm by participating in a regular fire evacuation practise and listening to staff talk about how to stay safe in the setting and on outings. Staff have established outstanding systems to help children adopt healthy lifestyles. For example, children re-cycle food as a source of organic compost, use vegetables and fruit from the garden to make a healthy snack and staff are currently involved in a joint pilot scheme with the local health

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and outcomes for children

authority contributing to policy development on children’s food and activities. Staff have also achieved a local authority five star excellence rating for food safety performance. They provide children with healthy snacks and meals according to their individual needs and share written menus with parents. Children are independent in their self care skills as they put on aprons before painting, dress appropriately for outdoor activities and brush their teeth after a meal. They are developing independence and contribute effectively towards the welfare of others, for example, as they help staff to clean up at the end of an activity. Children are developing skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being as they use information and communication technology, visit the local shops and use role- play to support their learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children’s understanding of diversity and difference is enhanced as they celebrate festivals and special events throughout the nursery year. This ensures that children learn to value aspects of their own lives and the diverse society in which they live. 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 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

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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 2 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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