Leaps and Bounds Nursery

Leaps & Bounds

Inspection report for early years provision

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Leaps & Bounds

Unique Reference Number EY276443 Inspection date 26 September 2005 Inspector Pauline Garfield

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Leaps & Bounds

Setting Address Bond Street, New Rossington, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN11 0BZ Telephone number 01302 867531

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E-mail

Registered person Lynn Henderson & Allison Dilworth 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?

Leaps and Bounds Nursery opened in 2004. The nursery is a purpose built, one storey building and operates from four rooms. It is situated within the grounds of All Saints School, in the village of Rossington on the outskirts of Doncaster. A maximum of 50 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 07.30 until 18.00 for 51 weeks of the year. Children in the nursery have sole use of the premises, however, they share the outside play area with an on

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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 site group. There are currently 44 children on roll from birth to 5 years. Of these six children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local and wider community. The nursery welcomes and supports children with special needs and those whose first language is not English. There is a staff team of 11, 9 hold relevant childcare qualifications and 2 are working towards gaining a recognised qualification. Staff receive support from the local authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children learn the importance of good personal hygiene through well-planned daily routines. The older children access the toilet independently and the youngest ones are well supported by the staff in their developing independence. All children know they have to wash their hands after toileting and before eating and readily do so before they have their snack. Staff follow effective procedures to maintain good levels of hygiene which help to prevent cross infection. For example, they ensure toys and equipment are cleaned on a regular basis and have a cleaning rota. Children benefit from a healthy diet. Menus are planned in advanced and rotated on a two week basis which ensures a balance and variety of nutritious meals is available. Children's likes and dislikes are taken into account and parents wishes to ensure all special dietary needs are met. Children are well nourished and enjoy fruit

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Helping children to be healthy

on a daily basis. Drinks are prepared in advance with jugs of juice available for consumption throughout the day. This ensures that children's dietary needs are met and they benefit from a healthy diet. The routine of the day is well organised to ensure there is regular opportunity for children's physical development, both inside and outside and children have a good awareness of space. They move around confidently, with control in a variety of ways, including running, jumping and hopping. This range of activities contributes to children's good health and promotes their physical wellbeing.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a warm and welcoming environment where staff are friendly and approachable. Priority is given to identifying and minimising risks which means children are able to move around safely, freely and independently. For example, the main door has a security system in place and effective routines and communications between staff ensure children's needs are met and they are kept safe. Several members of staff have attended fire training and the fire safety bell is regularly tested.

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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 However, children do not have the experience of practised fire drills and exiting the building. This means they lack the knowledge of what to do in such circumstances. Children are developing a good understanding of being safe both inside and outside the building. For example, they know that they must not throw toys and should pick them up so that children do not fall and hurt themselves. This helps children take responsibility for keeping themselves safe. Children use a range of safe, good quality, developmentally appropriate resources. Staff have effective routines in place that enable children to use them safely, which in turn supports their play and learning. Children are well protected from possible abuse or neglect. Staff attend training in child protection and are fully aware of the types of abuse and the signs to look for.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

They have a good understanding of the procedures to follow if they have any concerns and give priority to children's welfare.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Babies benefit from routines which are consistent with their experiences at home. They have a strong bond with their key worker and settle well into the organised environment. Children are supported by staff who are interested in them, give them lots of smiles, praise and encouragement and they build warm relationships. For example, staff reassure babies as they are changing their nappies, smile and have good eye contact with them. This develops their sense of belonging, confidence and self-esteem. Young children benefit from good interaction with staff and children enjoy looking at books on comfortable furniture which develops children's early communication skill's. Children can sleep and rest according to their needs. They enjoy playing with age appropriate shape sorters and give themselves a clap as they achieve and complete the task. This develops children's cognitive skills and hand eye

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

coordination. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Assessment shows children's development towards the early learning goals and each child has an individual learning plan which is completed on a monthly basis. Planning identifies the areas of learning, but clear reference is not made to which stepping stone in line with the Curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage is used. Children are making suitable progress because staff have a sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage and use their knowledge well to provide suitable activities. However, several activities are adult led and the cutting activity with printed shapes is too difficult for children to achieve the intended outcome of cutting out a leaf shape. Children show some independence as they access writing materials from a draw and find their own coat peg. However, they are not able to have independence and self-select at the painting easel, computer, creative workshop and at snack time.

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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 Children listen and respond to stories with increasing attention and recall, for example, they talk about which chair they would choose when looking at books at story-time. They enjoy a range of rhyming and rhythmic activities and sound out the first letter of their name when using name cards. Children show an interest in number rhymes and songs. They use size language such as big and little when joining in with the song about Goldilocks and the three bears. However, they do not solve simple number problems such as addition and subtraction in everyday activities. Children develop an initial sense of time and place and gain knowledge of their local environment as they go on nature walks to collect leaves and conkers. They do not join construction pieces together and try out a range of tools and techniques on a

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

regular basis. Children move in a range of ways jumping, hopping and climbing. They show body awareness as they talk about their tummies rumbling when its time for lunch. However, they have limited opportunities to develop hand eye coordination and independently access mark making implements, construction sets and small world activities. Children enjoy using musical instruments and tap out simple repeated rhythms to nursery rhymes. They use their imagination in play and enjoy bathing the dolls in the soapy water.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The children are greeted and welcomed into the nursery by staff who know them well. Children enjoy mutually respectful relationships with staff and each other. They develop self-esteem and confidence as they respond to boundaries and routines. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered appropriately. Practitioners ensure that children gain a good awareness of the diversity of the wider world through a suitable selection of activities and resources that promote positive images. For example, books, puzzles arts and crafts, that reflect different cultures and festivals such as Diwali are all available. This develops a positive attitude to others. Children benefit from the positive partnership staff have developed with parents. Parents are happy with the care provided and the information given on a daily basis regarding the activities provided and the care given. Children benefit from the

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Helping children make a positive contribution

involvement of their parents in the setting. For example, parents help children find their individual coat pegs on arrival. Some information is collected before children start in the setting and daily activities are recorded on handover sheets for parents to take home. Regular newsletters keep parents informed and the brochure contains details of the nurseries curriculum and the six areas of learning in line with the Curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage. However, the partnership with parents who receive the funded nursery education is only satisfactory. There are limited opportunities for parents to be fully aware of how their children are progressing along the stepping stones to the early learning goals during their time at the nursery.

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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

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The registered persons use effective procedures to ensure staff are appropriately vetted and qualified. The induction programme and good team work make sure all staff work well together to promote children's wellbeing, enjoyment and achievements. Overall, the leadership and management of the setting is satisfactory. Policies and procedures are developing and are satisfactory. However, the complaints procedure does not contain the name address and telephone number of Ofsted. The quality and range of activities provided is satisfactory. Staffing ratios are maintained and staff are appropriately qualified or working towards qualifications. The managers have a clear view of the settings current strengths and weaknesses and are committed to the ongoing development of the setting. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the children who attend.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the setting was asked to improve fire safety by ensuring all children take part in fire drills, further knowledge and understanding of the disability act regarding special needs and make available to parents a complaints procedure. The group now test the fire alarm regularly, but children do not take part in fire drills. A written statement is available to parents which provides details of the procedure to be followed if they have a complaint, however, this does not contain the name address and telephone number of Ofsted. Staff have updated their knowledge and understanding of the disability act through training. Children benefit from some improvements in the safety and organisation.

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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 MUST BE DONE TO SECURE FUTURE IMPROVEMENT?

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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • further improve fire safety by ensuring all children take part in fire drills and these are regularly practiced taking into account children's patterns of attendance • further develop the complaints procedure to include the name, address and telephone number of Ofsted.

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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 further opportunities for parents to become well informed of their children's achievements and progress • provide further opportunities for children to develop their independence skills at the painting easel, computer, creative workshop and at snack time • further develop planning to ensure the stepping stones to the early learning goals is identified in line with the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage • provide opportunities for children to show an interest in number problems and develop an understanding of addition and subtraction through practical activities • further develop opportunities for children to join construction pieces together and try out a range of tools and techniques safely • further develop children's opportunities to increase their skill and control in

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

activities requiring hand eye coordination in the use of mark making implements, construction sets and small world activities.

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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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