Heirs and Graces Day Nursery (Tring) Ltd

Heirs and Graces (TRING) Ltd Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY319588 Inspection date 09/03/2010 Inspector Sheila Dawn Flounders

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Setting address Heirs & Graces Ltd, Florence House, 2 Christchurch Road, Tring, Hertfordshire, HP23 4EE Telephone number 01442891818 Email info@heirsandgracesdaynursery.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 telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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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: 0300 123 1231 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

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

Heirs and Graces Day Nursery opened in 2006. It operates from four base rooms, over three floors in a converted Victorian house close to the centre of Tring, Hertfordshire. It is close to local schools and residential areas. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area which has a ultra-violet light cover. It is open each weekday from 8.00am to 6.00pm for 49 weeks of the year.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register only. A maximum of 48 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 77 children aged from three months to under five years on roll, some in part-time places. The nursery currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

There are 28 members of staff, 23 of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. One member of staff has Qualified Teacher status. The setting provides funded early education for three and four-year-olds and receives support from the local authority.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The nursery meet all the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, with mostly thorough routines and procedures in place implemented by well qualified and enthusiastic staff. Detailed information is obtained to enable staff to care for individual needs and routines, particularly for younger children, with ongoing relationships with parents ensuring this is updated regularly. As a result all aspects of children's welfare are well promoted. The diverse activities and stimulating environment available enable children to make good progress in their learning and development. The nursery's commitment to improve is strong, they use self- evaluation effectively to identify areas they wish to develop and seek ways to proceed with these.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 develop planning systems to make more effective use of information gained about individual children's next steps  develop routines used for hand washing before meals in the Jungle room, to better prevent the spread of infection. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Management have taken recent steps to ensure all staff have updated their knowledge of signs and symptoms of abuse and what action to take if they have concerns. Their detailed policy, including procedures to be followed if any allegations are made against a member of staff, and supporting documentation such as accident and incident recording support their practice. Staff vetting and induction procedures are fully in place to ensure their suitability and help to safeguard children. Risk assessments are used effectively to identify potential risks within the premises, on outings and some activities so that appropriate measures are put in place, which are then modified if necessary. Regular fire drills, including after new staff start, ensure they all understand their roles and responsibilities at that time. The nursery have a positive approach to promoting equality and diversity and are actively seeking to broaden staff understanding and children's

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the early years provision

experiences of a wider range of cultural festivals. Good attention is given to supporting children’s individual needs, which is a priority for the youngest children, with staff obviously aware of what these are, such as needing a longer settling in period or a change in sleep times due to recent illness. Positive liaisons are in place for children with special educational needs, to promote continuity in their care and learning, and recent developments have now extended these partnerships to other settings some children attend. Staff use of the premises, their time and resources is generally good, for example, ratios are maintained, with additional cover over lunch times and the use of a 'floating' member of staff where needed. Some re- organisation of rooms has resulted in more space for specific age groups within the nursery. All rooms are well resourced, with particularly good access to creative resources and the provision of age-appropriate furniture helps children towards

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the early years provision

Management use information gained from staff, parents and children alongside analysis of their strengths and weaknesses to complete their detailed self- evaluation. They have identified areas to improve in all aspects of the provision and are proactive at seeking diverse methods of driving forward the desired improvements such as training, contact with other professionals or improving resources. Managers effectively use systems such as supervision and appraisals, together with their time spent in individual rooms and regular meetings with staff, to monitor and evaluate the provision and as a result have a realistic overview. Very evident are the positive relationship that exist with parents, who are always made welcome with time taken to talk to them about any relevant issues. All parents can access detailed information available through various documentation, visits to the nursery and discussions with key staff. New parents particularly are

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the early years provision

given opportunities during the settling in process to share what they know about their child’s individual routines, and to provide information about their starting abilities to form the basis for developmental records. In return staff regularly share information about significant achievements, as well as care routines. Parents are made to feel part of the nursery by receiving information about how to continue activities at home, having opportunities to be involved in training such as first aid and joining in celebrations. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy positive learning experiences, for example, in the baby room they are encouraged to explore natural materials such as scrunching paper or filled bottles, discovering the noises differing contents make, and particularly like hitting the noisiest together. As children get older creativity is more evident and they have opportunities to mark make, 'design' their own Mother's Day cards, explore the qualities of gloop and develop their physical skill using tools and cutters with dough. Staff also begin to talk to them about the shapes they are using and generally encourage their vocabulary as they play in the home corner or look at books together. Outdoor play is well utilised to support children's learning as they access many activities in the partly covered garden areas, including growing food to eat, opportunities for water play, which often extend into the sand, and painting area. Older children particularly make good use of the local area to visit the local

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and outcomes for children

library, shops and museum to effectively broaden their learning environment. They also have more freedom of movement within the premises with free flow across three rooms allowing continuing friendships across age groups and constant opportunities to self-select resources covering all areas of the curriculum. Children benefit from their positive interaction with staff in all age groups, someone is always available to support their learning, or make suggestions which develop their understanding and extend their concentration. Staff planning contains sufficient information, although information about individual children's next steps is not currently used effectively. Children's assessment records include age-appropriate documentation, with significant observations supported by photographs clearly linked to the areas of learning providing evidence that children are making good progress in relation to known starting points.

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and outcomes for children

Children are confident within the nursery and readily approach staff showing that they feel safe and secure. They are familiar with routines within the building, for example, how to negotiate the stairs and staff ensure that they begin to think about safety aspects within activities. Their developing understanding of keeping themselves safe is also promoted through regularly taking part in fire drills and robust routines on outings. Children's health is well promoted through the provision of a healthy, balanced diet which is freshly prepared on the premises. The easy availability of drinks ensures that children are well hydrated, with younger children offered a choice of what type of cup to use. Throughout most of the nursery robust hygiene routines are in place for cleaning, nappy changing, toileting and hand washing, although in the 'Jungle' room children use a shared bowl of water to wash their hands before eating which does not protect them from

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and outcomes for children

the risk of cross-infection. Most children access a variety of outdoor play and physical activities daily, such as football coaching, musical activities, dancing and action rhymes. The youngest babies are taken out for walks and enjoy ample space in their room to develop their emergent physical skills. All children are made to feel part of the nursery, they see their work prominently displayed, and staff take time to talk to them about what they are doing. They are positively engaged in interesting activities, and always well supervised, and as a result their behaviour is generally very good. Older children are encouraged to be more proactive in their understanding of managing their own behaviour through the use of visual This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 reminders of the rules, with staff confident about how to handle any incidents. All children have some access to toys which introduce them to technology, the older

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and outcomes for children

children freely using the computer, communication skills are very evident and opportunities for independent choices are increasing. Children's positive behaviour ensures they learn skills such as sharing and taking turns, and the younger children show they are learning to be considerate of others when choosing various partners as they dance to music. 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 2 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 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 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

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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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