Dots 'N' Spots Day Nursery and Out of School Club

School Club

Inspection report for early years provision

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School Club

Unique Reference Number EY268443 Inspection date 03 October 2005 Inspector Elizabeth Patricia Edmond

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School Club

Setting Address Skelton Primary School, Station Lane, Skelton-in-Cleveland, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Cleveland, TS12 2LR Telephone number 01287 654930 E-mail Out of School 01287 653600 Registered person Dots 'N' Spots Type of inspection Childcare Type of care Full day care

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School Club

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

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding. At the time of the inspection there were no children on roll. Ofsted judges that the provider remains suitable to provide care.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Dots 'N' Spots Children's Day Nursery and Out of School Club opened in October 2003 and provides full day care for children from birth up to 12 years old. It operates mainly from self contained premises in the grounds of Skelton Primary School. This comprises a series of modular buildings. The out of school club is accommodated in designated premises within the school.

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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 The nursery serves the local rural community of four villages. A voluntary committee is responsible for management of the facility although there are also close links with the school governors and staff. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round, from 7.15 to 18.00. There are currently 84 children on roll in the nursery and there are 33 children under 8 years who attend the out of school club for various part time sessions or full days. The out of school club also cares for older children. The nursery is not registered to provide funded nursery education. However, wrap-around care is provided so that children of eligible age can be taken to and from the school nursery class. There are currently 20 staff who work with the children, all of whom hold childcare qualifications at various levels. Additional staff are employed for cooking, cleaning

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. The children are cared for in a warm clean environment where they learn about good hygiene practices. The older children independently wash their hands before lunch and the toddlers are helped to use their own face cloths afterwards. The babies' health is further promoted by the effective procedures for nappy changing which are consistently followed by staff. The regular time-tabled use of the garden, throughout the day, means that the children develop a positive attitude to being active in the outdoors. The toddlers enjoy their developing mobility; they delight in steering the cars and they laugh as they play on the small slide. The pre-school children learn to balance carefully on the planks and they throw the balls with increasing skill. After school most of the older children gasp with delight as they learn that they are able to play outdoors with the equipment. The children's health, development and overall demeanour benefit greatly from the

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Helping children to be healthy

careful attention paid by the cook to providing good quality, freshly cooked meals and healthy snacks. The pre-school children like the fresh broccoli in their fish pie and they learn about why they need the vitamins in the carrots. After school, the older children capably make their own sandwiches with wholemeal bread and proudly finish off their apples. The babies thrive because their nutritional and emotional needs are met. They enjoy being held closely by their key worker as they are bottle fed and they gradually learn to take control of their bottle or spoon.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The children are able to play freely as immediate risks are identified and minimised. The children learn about keeping themselves safe as they are reminded to use the

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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 hand rails on the steps to the garden, and reminded why they should not put the knives in their mouths. Toddlers are helped to sit safely on the slide before they let go with their hands. The children choose freely from good quality play equipment which meets their developmental needs. The arrangements for cleaning and checking the babies' toys further promote the children's health and safety. The children are cared for in a secure environment; door security is good throughout the setting and the children's arrival and collection times are well organised. The safety of the children using the newly converted out of school room has been promptly addressed with particular attention paid to the revised emergency evacuation procedures. The children are well protected because the key staff have a good understanding of

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

how to protect children in line with the Area Child Protection Committee guidance. The system for the induction of new staff and students contributes also to the children's safety and protection.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The children enjoy their time at the nursery and the out of school club; they arrive confidently and quickly become absorbed in the various activities. Those younger children who are less confident with their new surroundings are very sensitively supported until they feel more settled. The babies and toddlers react with great enjoyment to the range of sensory experiences offered. They splash joyfully in the water, explore the range of interesting objects in the treasure baskets and wave their hands excitedly as they activate the sound toys. This is because the recent introduction of the Birth to three matters framework is beginning to be very effective. The children talk with increasing confidence and varying levels of clarity about what they are doing. This is due to the focused efforts made by staff to engage the children in conversations about their play or what they have done in school. The

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

babies' communication skills are helped by the regular use of their key worker for their care routines. They become accustomed to their key workers' voice and they are encouraged to vocalise as they are changed or dressed. The children generally develop good self help skills; they help themselves to their toys from the low level storage and they attend to their personal care needs with increasing ability. However, the pre-school children are not involved in the preparation for lunchtime and have difficulty using cutlery. The children enjoy a good range of activities which address their creative development. The 2 year old children take part enthusiastically in pretend birthday parties and they mix the paints to make their own colours; the toddlers enjoy dressing up and joining in with their favourite action rhymes. The older children at the out of school club help themselves freely to the drawing materials and create interesting

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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

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The children are relaxed, confident and behave very well. This is due to the staff's cheerful approach and their consistent and confident use of praise and encouragement to foster the children self esteem. Links with the school further promote this aspect at the nursery and out of school club. The staff relate good behaviour back to the children's class teachers so that they can be rewarded additionally in school, and pre-school children show proudly the rewards the have earned at their nursery class. The children are valued and respected as individuals. Their needs are met effectively and they follow their normal routines. This is because the staff get to know the children in their care very well; they talk confidently about the children's favourite comforters and feeding routines and the children's extended family. The children benefit from the comfortable three-way relationships with the staff and their parents.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

They are relaxed as they see the staff talk to their parents about specific sleeping routines or pass on messages from school. Important information for parents is always in writing and the nursery keeps a careful log of complaints and suggestions made by parents. Parents who take part in the inspection process are very pleased with the standard of care provided. The children show their acceptance of other cultures; they play happily with a range of resources showing positive images of cultural diversity and enjoy activities which promote equal opportunities.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The children's overall well-being benefits clearly from the staff's positive approach to their continued professional development and the provision's overall attitude to evaluating and improving their practice. However, some first aid certificates are now due for renewal. The staff forge useful links with other agencies for quality assurance mentoring and other training issues. They are already very aware of recent changes to legislation affecting the safety of children. Effective procedures are in place to cascade important training on the Birth to three matters framework to the adults who work with this age-group. The range of policies and procedures are used effectively to promote the children's care and learning. These are reviewed regularly and made available to parents along with records about the children's care and development. The children's and the staff's attendance are in most cases very carefully recorded. The pre-school register is less

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Organisation

clear about the children who leave the day care building to attend their nursery class in school. The facilities and resources are invitingly arranged so that the children can initiate and extend their own play and learning throughout the provision. In most of the setting this works very well and the children confidently help themselves to the

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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 activities and resources. The recent reorganisation of some of the rooms has meant that some children are not yet very familiar with their new environment; however, they are becoming used to their new areas and developing their confidence to operate independently. Overall the needs of all the children attending are met.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection it was recommended that the nursery ensure that parents sign the medication records to acknowledge their awareness that medication had been administered. The records now clearly show parents' permission for staff to administer specific medication. Their second signature confirms their awareness of the specific details of this. This contributes considerably to the children's health; it means that children are less likely to have a course of treatment interrupted, or similarly, that medication is not unintentionally administered twice.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection Ofsted received a complaint relating mainly to Standard 12, Working With Parents. This was regarding the provision checking a child’s head for head lice, the provision's complaints procedure and a child’s bottle being returned unused. The management provided Ofsted with a comprehensive internal report that demonstrated that they had followed appropriate actions regarding children attending with head lice. The provision had followed the complaints procedure appropriately. They ensure that drinking water is available at all times for children and that children receive drinks as needed throughout the day. The provider remains qualified for registration. A separate complaint was made against Standard 7, Hygiene. On that occasion Ofsted visited the provision and actions were agreed between the childcare inspector and the provider to improve standards. The provider remains qualified for registration.

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Complaints since the last inspection

The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding. At the time of the inspection there were no children on roll. Ofsted judges that the provider remains suitable to provide care.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

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): • develop the arrangements for lunchtime to address the pre-school children's overall development; for example, involve the children in laying the table for their friends and help them to improve their use of cutlery • ensure that the pre-school register shows clearly when the children have left day care to attend their nursery class in school.

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The quality and standards of the care

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 care

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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