Park Lane Children's Centre

Park Lane Children Centre

Inspection report for early years provision

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Park Lane Children Centre

Unique Reference Number EY249127 Inspection date 06 December 2005 Inspector Jennifer Liverpool

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Park Lane Children Centre

Setting Address 139 Park Lane, Tottenham, London, N17 0HB

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E-mail

Registered person Early Years and Play 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?

Park Lane Children Centre is run by the Local Authority. It opened in 2005 and operates four rooms on the ground floor of a purpose built building. It is situated in the Tottenham area within the London borough of Haringey. A maximum of 60 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 08:00 to 17:45 for 48 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure, enclosed, outdoor play area.

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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 There are currently 36 children, aged from 2 to under 5 years, on roll. Of these 8 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from a wide catchment area, as some of their parents travel to work or study in the local area. The nursery currently supports a number of children with special educational needs. The nursery employs 21 staff. 16 of the staff, including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children understand the need for good personal hygiene in daily routines. They automatically wash their hands after visiting the toilet and before eating food. Clear explanation helps younger children understand the need to wash hands. Staff who work in the kitchen own good practice such as wearing protective clothing for cooking and serving food, helping to reduce the risk of cross infection to children and others. Parents give prior written consent to administer medication that ensures children receive the correct dosage according to their needs. Some staff hold current first aid certificates ensuring that their knowledge is up-to-date in the event of an accident. Younger children are offered sleep or rest in accordance with their parents wishes and their own needs. This contributes to children's physical well-being. Children are well nourished because they receive varied and nutritious meals cooked

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Helping children to be healthy

on the premises. Staff monitor the menu to provide variety and to cater for all tastes and special dietary requirements. Children enjoy eating sweet potatoes, black eye peas and chicken sausages. Children play outside and have lots of opportunities to extend their physical skills on a daily basis. They use a range of large outdoor play equipment including climbing frame, milk crates, tyres and tricycle, which helps to develop their balance and coordination.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children use a wide range of resources and equipment that is developmentally appropriate for their age and stage of development, and conforms to safety standards. Children access toys safely and independently. They are learning about how to keep themselves safe through gentle reminders to walk and not run when indoors, though they are not regularly helped to become familiar with fire drill evacuation. The procedure for identify and addressing potential hazards was last reviewed over a year ago and is not effective in ensuring children's safety. Children have access to a large open play area and they use space well as they walk around others and furniture with minimal contact. There is an effective security system in place to prevent unwanted visitors gaining access. Children's welfare is generally safeguarded because most staff are aware of child protection procedures and have a reasonable knowledge of what actions to take if

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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 they have any concerns about a child in their care.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children generally enjoy their time at the nursery. Older children arrive happy, confident, and they engage in their play and enjoy the good range of activities that are provided. Young children are steadily settling in to the daily routine, and despite the recent staff changes many of them are developing positive relationships with staff. Children's needs are known and followed. Young children are learning to play alongside each other and share equipment. They have good opportunities to explore natural materials, for example touching and scooping dry sand and observing bubble water. Staff are beginning to use the Birth to three matters framework and they are aiming to provide a wider range of activities and experiences for younger children. Staff talk about how each child is progressing and informally plan the next step for development. The day is reasonably well planned for children in order that they have

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

opportunity for quiet, active and adventurous play. However, at times the large grouping of children for songs and rhymes is a little disruptive and hinders other children from listening and concentrating. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children are making sound progress along the stepping stones towards the early learning goals. They are interested and motivated to learn, and are interested and involved in the activities provided. Although there are sufficient resources to ensure that the learning programme for mathematical development is suitably covered its use is not yet sufficiently maximise for developing children's learning. Most staff have a secure understanding of the early learning goals and provides children with an interesting range of activities. However, at times there are missed opportunities in the use of wider resources such as sand and water play to support children to develop their

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

recognition, knowledge and understanding of numbers, shapes and measurements. Staff know the children well and demonstrate their knowledge of individual children in their progress reports. However lack of formal records means that areas of learning are not fully covered. Children are generally developing independence skills, and many of them make choices for themselves as they access books and choose the song they wish to sing at group time. Older children are confident speakers and hold informal conversations with adults and their peers. There are suitable activities such as picture exchange cards that are offered to support and promote children's language and communication skills. The provision for promoting children's early reading is adequate. All children have name cards, and there are labels on most storage crates. However opportunities for children to begin to recognise some letters of the alphabet

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

are not yet promoted. There are good resources to support children's mathematical development but there

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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 is a lack of details to confirm that a good range of activities such as recognition of number, shapes and measurements are undertaken in this area of learning. Children are encouraged to count up to number 5, and they regularly sing number songs. Children have good opportunities to use computers and they are beginning to learn how to turn the machine on and off, and develop mouse control skills. They are developing good manipulative skills when pouring and scooping water and sand from different containers. Children experience a range of colour and textures through daily activities and they express their ideas in craft and model making activities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children's comments, interests and contributions are valued by staff. Their art work and models are put on display and this helps children to feel good about themselves, and learn to appreciate the work of their peers. Staff get to know each child very well as they are responsible for monitoring the progress and development of an identified group of children. Each child is given individual care and attention, and those with special educational needs are encouraged to participate in all activities with appropriate level of support. Children are generally well behaved and many helped to understand the consequences of their actions. Children from a variety of backgrounds attend. All play happily together and resources reflect the diversity of the community. Children have opportunities to celebrate a variety of festivals and events including Chinese New Year, Black History month and Christmas. Children's

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Helping children make a positive contribution

spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Partnership with parents is good. Staff are welcoming to parents and greets each of them on their arrival. Children's care needs are known by staff because information about children is obtained through discussion with parents during initial interviews and as they arise. Children settling arrangements is shared between parents and staff. This helps children to develop a sense of security and belonging. Children's progress is shared with parents informally and during review meetings, and there are opportunities for parents to contribute to written reports ensuring children's individual needs are met. Staff involve parents in their children's learning by providing a book loan scheme and giving suggestions regarding shared reading and book care.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children benefit from a well organised environment where they have freedom of movement, easy access to play materials and clearly defined areas for rest, quiet and active play. The implementation of the key carer system ensures all children receive appropriate care and attention throughout the session. Staff deployment is effective and ensure that children are supervised at all times. There are effective recruitment procedures in place and a good induction programme to support new and temporary staff. There are opportunities for professional development and the management actively encourage staff to attend training. This helps support children within the setting.

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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 Leadership and management is satisfactory. The staff team have undergone some changes and they are working towards defining their roles and responsibilities. However, the registered person failed to inform Ofsted of the temporary changes in management. There is a general system in place for monitoring and evaluating procedures and practices. This has resulted in all policies being recently reviewed and mostly updated to be in line with current and new legislation. However there is an inconsistent approach to identifying and addressing potential hazards, and the monitoring and evaluation of the curriculum for children is not fully effective to ensure all areas of learning are covered. The setting does meet the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since registration. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaint record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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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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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): • improve risk assessment procedures to ensure all areas of the nursery are regularly checked, and clearly show what actions are to be taken. • evaluate and improve the organisation of large group activities to ensure that the developmental and learning needs of all children are met • make sure Ofsted is notified of management changes and any other change

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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 to the operation of the nursery

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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): • provide more opportunities for children to recognise numbers and develop their mathematical knowledge and understanding of shapes, size, and sorting. • further develop planning in ways which confirm that all aspects of the early learning goals are covered. Clearly identify the learning intention of activities provided for children, and how it is adapted for their various abilities

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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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