Chadwell St Mary Day Nursery Ltd

Chadwell St Mary Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY271369 Inspection date 16/10/2009 Inspector Charalambos Loizou

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Setting address The Old School House, Chadwell St Mary Primary School, Riverview, Chadwell St Mary, Grays, RM16 4DH Telephone number 01375 843 601 Email chadwellstmarydaynursery@yahoo.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

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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 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

Chadwell St Mary Day Nursery is privately owned. It opened in 2003 and operates from a two storey converted house within the grounds of a local primary school in Chadwell St Mary, Essex. A maximum of 66 children may attend at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 7:30am to 6:30pm all-year-round. All children share access to secure and enclosed outdoor play areas. There are currently 80 children aged from birth to under five years on roll and the nursery can accommodate up to 18 children under two years of age. There are 35 children who receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local area. The nursery currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as some who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 20 staff and it is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Nearly

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Description of the setting

all the staff hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership. The accommodation provides suitable access for children and families with disabilities.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children of all ages, backgrounds and abilities benefit enormously from the outstanding quality of provision in this nursery. There is an excellent range of stimulating and challenging activities in this highly inclusive and supportive setting. Parents and carers express a high level of satisfaction and the staff are very committed to the needs of individual children across the whole age range. There are excellent and robust systems in place to ensure the children’s safety and well- being. The nursery is exceptionally well led and managed and demonstrates outstanding capacity to sustain improvement in the future.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 ensure that, whilst the children become familiar with the new outdoor resources and equipment, more regular checks and risk assessments are undertaken.

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the early years provision

The staff have established excellent working relationships with parents and other organisations and schools in the area. The manager and director have well- organised routines and policies that are kept up to date, including excellent procedures to ensure that all the staff have training opportunities. The manager This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 uses a training matrix, rotas and timetables so that the staff are very clear about their roles and responsibilities. Each room in the nursery is designated to accommodate specific age groups and all are exceptionally well equipped. For example, the room for very young babies has excellent nappy changing facilities and quiet areas for the children to sleep in, as well as clearly defined spaces and areas for snacks or soft play areas for the children to explore, for example, play tunnels, rugs and soft toys. In other rooms, toddlers and children throughout the

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the early years provision

Early Years Foundation Stage have access to a stimulating range of resources that include visual and tactile play boards mounted on walls, book corners, role play and building areas for the children to explore and experiment with. The new outdoor areas were opened during the time of the inspection and are outstanding, with exciting and innovative resources, such as sensory areas, climbing frames, a pirate ship, ‘talking flowers’ and much more. The strong links and business partnerships established by the management team include the securing of substantial funding for outdoor areas and other resources. Young babies and toddlers also have exceptionally good access to their own secure outdoor area that has been carefully designed to meet their specific needs. It is a mark of the nursery’s ambitious plans that there are well-advanced plans in place to increase the number of covered areas outdoors to ensure that the children can learn and

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the early years provision

play in all weathers. Security and safety are paramount with excellent procedures and resources in place to ensure that children are supervised, safeguarded and protected at all times. Remote observational security cameras are mounted in all areas and rooms, with multi-screen access for the staff and manager to monitor each area. This outstanding facility is also used for training purposes as the staff often reflect on their work and observe recordings of each room and outdoor area to improve and share best practice. Self-evaluation is exceptionally well planned and organised. All staff are encouraged to undertake risk assessments and record observations as well as comment on how best to improve the nursery. Charts, matrices and rotas are regularly updated and checked and there is an outstanding process of audit and review, led by the manager and director, which enables the nursery to continually improve on its performance and effectiveness for the benefit

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the early years provision

Parents and carers have excellent access to information and those who spoke to the inspector added that the nursery is very good at integrating the children from different backgrounds, reflecting a high level of commitment to inclusion and diversity. Children from families whose circumstances cause them to be vulnerable are exceptionally well supported through the strong links established with support agencies and the local authority’s welfare service. Parents and carers are regularly invited to comment so the staff can reflect on future needs and ensure that they respond to any concerns raised. This also accounts for the very high level of satisfaction expressed by parents, children and families. The children behave extremely well and the staff are constantly vigilant in ensuring that all the children are kept safe and secure both indoors and outdoors.

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the early years provision

The staff have a good knowledge of the setting's strengths and areas for improvement and, as at the time of the nursery’s last inspection, there are no major recommendations for improvement and the staff are keeping a close watch on the risks to children in the new outdoor areas, so are stepping up their process of risk assessment whilst the new resources bed in. The staff are very well This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 qualified and have attended a very good range of training that has prepared them exceptionally well to meet the needs of children throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage. All the staff have been checked as to their suitability to work with children and there are excellent systems in place to ensure that records are kept up to date. Planning is thorough so that resources and activities are well matched to the needs of the children, and the excellent range of equipment and

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the early years provision

resources reflects positive images as well as ethnic and cultural diversity. Parents and carers have an excellent understanding of how their children are doing because there are thorough and informative assessments and records, which are shared with parents, and include the next steps in the children’s learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

The staff provide a stimulating range of activities that are very well matched to the ages, abilities and backgrounds of the children. Excellent one-to-one support is provided for children who have specific special educational needs and/or disabilities. All children are engaged in well-themed activities that provide outstanding opportunities for them to explore, experiment and learn through trial and error. For example, babies explore the play tunnel with interest and curiosity and communicate with an adult by pointing to pictures and resources. Toddlers between the ages of one and two listen to nursery rhymes and dance along happily, which helps them to develop and extend their language and understanding of words and rhyming sounds. Two- and three-year-olds enjoy cutting activities when making special collages which are successful in encouraging them to improve their coordination skills as well as their knowledge of colour,

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and outcomes for children

texture and shapes. Three- and four-year-olds experience a broad range of language activities as well as developing their number, reasoning and problem- solving skills when counting numbers in order, working out, for example, how many steps it will take to jump on the numbered footprints on paths in the outdoor areas.

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and outcomes for children

There are excellent routines that help the children to settle quickly so they can enjoy playing and working indoors and outdoors with equal success. Activities are well organised to provide challenges, for example, assembling and building with wooden bricks to make sure that ‘Humpty Dumpty’ does not fall off the wall. Children up to the age of two are thoroughly absorbed when playing with toys, models or building blocks, often sustaining their concentration to fit large jigsaw pieces together and solving puzzles, which contribute to improving the children’s understanding of numbers and shapes. Three- and four-year-olds enjoy sharing books and listening to stories and then acting out the role of characters when dressing up or playing in the home corner or role play areas. Toddlers explore the role play shop by experimenting with the toy cash registers and asking ‘customers’ what they would like to buy.

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and outcomes for children

All children have excellent opportunities to explore the outdoor areas safely and productively to improve their physical and creative development. They are thoroughly engrossed with the new and exciting resources, for example, when This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 three-year-olds wave goodbye on the ‘pirate ship’ as they set off for some far-flung and exotic destinations, such as the Caribbean. The ‘talking flowers’ are very popular as children improve their listening skills by talking to each other through each flower and improvising telephone conversations. The staff plan their work diligently and work cooperatively to ensure that older children can support and work with younger ones. All staff are highly committed to their role in supporting the children from a diverse range of backgrounds and this is reflected in the high quality and extensive range of resources and activities that encourage and

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and outcomes for children

promote cultural and racial diversity. The staff successfully encourage the children to eat healthily and to develop their independence, so the children all contribute extremely well to the nursery and its local community. For example, open days and fund days are planned so the children and their families can celebrate their achievements together. At meal times, older children between the ages of three and four serve food to other children or help themselves to extra tasty pasta using specially adapted utensils that the children can handle safely and efficiently. Older, three- and four-year-olds have excellent opportunities to improve their early reading and writing skills when sharing books, drawing pictures of characters and settings in nursery rhymes and writing their names in the writing area.

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and outcomes for children

The staff are very good at planning tasks and resources that provide outstanding opportunities for the children to engage in activities productively across all areas of learning, both indoors and out. Parents are confident that the children know who their key worker is and that the staff know each child well through accurate and careful observations and notes of the progress they all make. The children make an excellent contribution to the nursery when taking responsibility, such as clearing up or putting out place mats for meal times. The staff provide enjoyable and carefully tailored activities that ensure the children make excellent progress. The children are happy and feel safe because the staff are vigilant and take excellent care of them. Extremely effective procedures, such as special dietary requirements listed on each child’s place mat, ensure that children’s needs are met as well as ensuring their safety and well-being.

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and outcomes for children

The children behave very well and considerately towards each other because staff model and encourage respect and good manners. Healthy lifestyles are promoted effectively and there are outstanding opportunities for the children to choose for themselves when moving between indoor and outdoor areas. They are kept safe as a result of the careful and rigorous implementation of policies and procedures as well as the excellent use of cameras mounted in all areas. The staff are very well trained to deal with occasional accidents and there are robust procedures to ensure that the children are safe through regular fire drills and effective first aid procedures. Snack times and story times are used very well to enable the children to socialise and to reinforce their language and communication skills. Extremely well-planned and effective routines and activities planned for the children provide them with the necessary skills that prepare them exceptionally well for the next

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and outcomes for children

stage of their education. 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 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 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 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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