Roche Pebbles Childcare Centre

Roche Pebbles Day Care

Inspection report for early years provision

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Roche Pebbles Day Care

Unique Reference Number EY255946 Inspection date 28 September 2005 Inspector Sarah Jane Wignall

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Roche Pebbles Day Care

Setting Address Fore Street, Roche, St. Austell, Cornwall, PL26 8EP

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E-mail

Registered person Roche Learning Village Partnership 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 satisfactory. 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?

Roche Pebbles Day Care is a committee run group. It opened in 2003 and operates from a single storey building. It is situated on the site of Roche primary school in the village of Roche. A maximum of 39 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 08.00 until 18.00 for 50 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure enclosed play area. There are currently 45 children from 3 months to 8 years on roll. Of these, 20 children

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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 receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local and surrounding areas. The nursery employs six staff. Over half the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. One staff member is currently working towards an NVQ level 3 qualification. The setting receives support from advisory teachers from Family Services and Sure Start. They are members of the Kernow Association of Day Nurseries (KADN).

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children Learn the importance of health and hygiene through established daily routines. They independently use the toilet and are reminded to wash their hands throughout the day. Individual paper towels and hand wash help to limit the risk of cross infection. Staff take appropriate action to protect children when going out in the sunshine, and all children are encouraged to bring sun creams and hats. A recently employed staff member takes responsibility for keeping all areas of the setting clean, particularly the kitchen during lunch time. Appropriate record systems are in place, to record accidents and medications. Sufficient staff hold current first aid and food hygiene certificates. Children are provided with a healthy and varied range of mid-day snacks, which includes good quantities of fruit and vegetables. Children enjoy participating at snack times where they help themselves, and are skilful at pouring their own drinks.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have access to drinks of water at other times throughout the session. All children join together at lunch time, where staff encourage them to eat sensibly from their packed lunch boxes. Staff encourage parents to provide their children with suitable drinks, and actively discourage them from sending fizzy drinks to the nursery. Information about children's special dietary needs and allergies are discussed and recorded. Children enjoy daily opportunities for fresh air and exercise as they run in the school play ground and play parachute games, together as a group. Physical activity sessions are not always sufficiently planned to offer challenge and interest to older, more able children, who sometimes become bored and lose interest. Babies enjoy fresh air as they go for walks around the grounds in their buggies. Children are encouraged to develop fine motor control, and are skilful at using a range of one

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Helping children to be healthy

handed tools such as glue sticks, pencils and crayons.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children benefit from being cared for in a new purpose built single storey building. Most areas are bright, clean and well maintained. Staff make most areas of the setting safe and suitable for children's use, for instance in the use of socket covers

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 and radiator protectors. Secure entrance systems to both playrooms ensure children are protected. Children learn the importance of keeping safe as they follow established procedures when going outside to play. They demonstrate their understanding of this as they readily make a 'train', and say that it is to ''keep safe and not fall over'', when asked. Staff supervise children well both inside and out. Older children are collected and accompanied by staff when coming to after school care. Risk assessments have not been fully used to identify all potential hazards at the setting, and a fire drill, with the children, has not yet been carried out in the new premises. Children have access to a very good range of suitable toys and resources. Toys are well sorted and stored in labelled containers, allowing children to make safe and

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

independent play choices. The nursery is well organised, with older and younger children cared for in separate play rooms. Staff ensure babies are well protected from older children and small items of equipment, by the use of large room dividers. All resources are well maintained and staff report that equipment is regularly checked for ongoing safety and suitability. Children are protected by the staff's knowledge and understanding of child protection procedures. The manager has recently updated her knowledge and skills through attendance at a training course. There is a comprehensive policy in place, and appropriate procedures for recording concerns and referring to other agencies if considered necessary.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children are settled and happy at the nursery. Most enter the setting confidently and participate in available activities. They are adequately supported by staff who are aware of their individual needs. Staff have recently completed training in the Birth to Three Matters framework, and are beginning to use this to plan activities for the under 3's. Babies benefit from close interactions with staff as they play on the floor with mobiles. Young children are able to select from a range of free choice activities, and they enjoy different construction toys and working together, for instance, when constructing a train track. All children enjoy going outside to run around in the fresh air. Older children, who attend after school and in the holidays, have access to a range of age appropriate games and craft projects. They particularly enjoy making paper mache models. Nursery Education

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and children's learning are satisfactory. Staff have an adequate understanding of the Foundation Stage and of how children learn. They plan a varied and balanced range of activities that cover most areas of learning. Sessions are well organised to give a good balance between adult led and child initiated activities. Children are gaining confidence, and are becoming independent in their play. They are encouraged to meet their own needs when using the toilet, selecting resources and putting things away. Staff are beginning to use observations and assessments of children's progress, but these are not sufficiently linked to

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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 planned activities, as a result not all children are sufficiently challenged to progress to the next step of learning. Children enjoy listening to stories and rhymes. They enthusiastically join in with the ending to familiar stories and join in with songs such as 'wind the bobbin up'. Some children are able to recognise their own name and other familiar words. They have some opportunities to listen to initial sounds, as they learn about letters and sounds. Children are gaining the skills for writing as they draw circles and shapes with pencils and crayons. More able children are not always encouraged to attempt writing for different purposes. Children learn about shape and size as they select junk items to make a model car. They correctly identify the wheels as circles as they put them on their cars. They

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

draw large and small circles when drawing pictures. Children compare the sizes of bears when they match them to different sized circles. More able children easily complete this activity and lose interest when there is no further challenge offered. Children have some opportunities to count for instance when selecting wheels for their models and counting circles on their pictures, but this is not reinforced during everyday routine activities. Children learn about technology as they use the computer independently and with confidence. Many children are skilful at using the mouse and can complete simple programmes. They learn about time as they discuss the days of the week and the changing seasons. Children have some opportunities to develop physical skills such as running around outside and joining in with parachute games. They show good spatial awareness as they play follow my leader around the play room. They gain fine muscle control as

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

they use small tools for cutting, spreading and pouring. Not all physical activities offer sufficient challenge to more able children. Children enjoy playing with a range of materials such as sand, water and dough. They occasionally listen and paint to music, and they have access to a good range of musical instruments. Overall children make satisfactory progress in all areas of learning. Weekly plans are in place which cover all six areas of learning. Staff are deployed effectively to support children, and children are well grouped at focussed activities. Some children's work is displayed within the setting, and children are able to take work home to show to parents.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children benefit from being cared for by consistent staff who are gaining an awareness of their individual needs. Staff discuss home routines with parents, when planning to meet the needs of babies and younger children. They plan sleeps and feeds around home routines. Staff take suitable action when helping new children to settle in and feel confident at the setting, for instance some children prefer to attend quieter sessions in the afternoon. Older children have some opportunities to learn about diversity through planned activities and celebrations of different cultural festivals within the curriculum. Children actively participate in local community events such as the local village carnival and they are invited to watch the local school

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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 nativity play's. Children learn about the natural world as they talk about the weather and the seasons, and help to care for animals such as a large land snail. Children are actively encouraged to be independent and they put on coats, aprons and use the toilet independently, as they move around the setting with confidence. They behave well and respond appropriately to the expectations of staff, who are consistent in their approach. Children are learning about manners and turn-taking, and they all join in with a song about saying 'please and thank you' before snack time. Children are tidy and take care of the environment. They use their own labelled trays to put away their work, and they help enthusiastically at tidy up time. Staff liaise well with parents when they have concerns about children at the setting. Overall the

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Helping children make a positive contribution

nursery fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development satisfactorily. A satisfactory partnership with parents and carers contributes to children's overall development and progress. Parents are provided with a detailed prospectus that outlines the provision and provides details of the areas of learning covered by the foundation stage curriculum. Parents have the opportunity to attend celebration evenings where they can discuss their child's progress and comment on assessment records. Babies and younger children take home a daily diary where relevant information on feeds and sleeps are recorded for parents information, and this is complimented by verbal feedback and occasional newsletters. Information on current planning is not yet displayed. There is no system in place for parents to share information about what their child knows and can do, on entry to the nursery. As a result this information is not available to provide a starting point to plan and monitor

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Helping children make a positive contribution

children's progress when they begin to access nursery education.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children benefit from being cared for in a suitably organised setting where roles and responsibilities of senior staff have been recently defined. All staff members hold appropriate qualifications, and additional staff are available to cover busy periods such as lunch times. Children are comfortable at the setting and are forming good relationships with staff and each other. Staff deployment is very effective, ensuring that children are well supported at all times. Children are confident when moving around the environment, and space is organised appropriately so children can access different areas of play. Appropriate documentation is in place, and several areas have recently been updated. The leadership and management of the nursery are satisfactory. The recently appointed commercial manager is currently updating many operational areas of the nursery, allowing senior childcare staff to concentrate on improving practice at the

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Organisation

nursery. The staff appraisal system is not yet fully implemented or used to identify ongoing training and developmental needs. Staff do not have an established system with which to evaluate the effectiveness of planned and other activities. Newly developed induction procedures are being used to inform new staff and committee members of their roles and responsibilities. Overall, the setting meets the needs of

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Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the provider was asked to improve the information shared with parents on their child's progress and development. At the last nursery education inspection staff were also asked to implement assessments and use these to inform planning, to improve their use of positional and mathematical language, and to provide more challenge for older, more able children. Staff provide some opportunities for parents to be informed about their child's development and progress through celebration evenings, where they discuss assessment and future targets. The use of assessments has begun but these are not yet linked effectively to planning. Children learn about position as staff use positional language when playing games. Older more able children are not sufficiently challenged in all areas of the curriculum.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection Ofsted have received 1 concern. In Feburary 2005 concerns were raised under standard 1: Suitable Person, regarding the way children were handled at the setting. We wrote to the registered person requesting a report and we also conducted an unannonced visit to the setting. During this visit we raised a number of actions under several standards. The first under standard 1: Suitable Person, was that the Registered Person ensures all staff and committee members are suitable to provide day care and look after children. An action was raised under standard 10: Special Needs, to ensure steps were taken to promote the welfare and development of children attending the setting. Under standard 11: Behaviour, that adults caring for children are able to manage a wide range of behaviour in a suitable way, and that there is a nominated person responsible for behaviour management techniques. A final action was raised under

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Complaints since the last inspection

standard 14: Documentation, requiring the registered person to inform Ofsted of significant events. The response from the Registered Person was reviewed and it was assessed that responses to actions were appropriate and the Registered Person remains suitable for registration.

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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 satisfactory. 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

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 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): • ensure the staff appraisal system is used effectively to outline ongoing training needs and to develop practice at the setting • continue to use risk assessments to identify and minimise hazards at the setting, and continue to carry out regular fire drills

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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): • ensure observations and assessments of children are used effectively to inform planning, identifying how children will progress to the next stage of learning • ensure that planned activities offer sufficient challenge to the more able children, particularly in the areas of mathematical development and physical development • develop systems to ensure that information is gained from parents about what their child knows and can do on entering the setting, and that this is used to guide planning and set individual targets.

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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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