Oak House Nursery

Oak House Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Oak House Nursery

Unique Reference Number EY304261 Inspection date 01 November 2005 Inspector Elaine Poulton

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Oak House Nursery

Setting Address 127 Station Road, Mickleover, Derby, Derbyshire, DE3 9FN

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E-mail

Registered person Oak House Nursery Ltd 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?

Oak House Nursery opened in 2005. It operates from the ground floor of a converted detached property in Mickleover, Derby. The nursery serves the local and surrounding area. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 30 children from 2 to 8 years on roll. This includes 8 funded 3 and 4-year olds. Children attend a variety of sessions. The setting supports children with special needs and children who speak English as an additional language.

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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 is open each weekday from 08:30 to 16:00 for 50 weeks of the year. The setting employs eight staff to work directly with the children. The nursery owner is a qualified nursery teacher and six other staff hold an appropriate early years qualification. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children benefit from a healthy diet and are offered regular drinks throughout the day. They enjoy a varied menu of freshly prepared meals which comply with any dietary requirement to ensure they remain in good health. Staff work in partnership with parents to meet children's individual dietary needs. Good procedures are in place for sick children which help prevent the spread of infection and help the children to remain healthy. Most policies and procedures are helpful and straightforward except for the emergency medical treatment and advice consent form, which in part is unclear. Children have raised awareness of the importance of why daily hygiene practices are used, through such routine activities as, hand washing and drying. They know where to locate paper tissues to wipe their nose and are encouraged to find a waste paper bin to dispose of the used tissue. Children enjoy good opportunities for physical exercise indoor and outdoor. They join

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Helping children to be healthy

in well with outdoor games and enjoy being out in the fresh air. All children are able to be active and rest according to their needs.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children have free access to a range of safe toys, well maintained equipment and they are beginning to understand how to use equipment such as the outdoor slide, correctly. Children are cared for in a well-organised environment, where risks and hazards are minimised through satisfactory safety and security procedures. Staff monitor access to the nursery at all times and precautions are taken by staff to ensure all areas are safe and secure for children to play. Children are well supervised and adult to child ratios are maintained at all times. Children are learning how to keep themselves safe, for example, they know how to respond to an emergency evacuation and where to assemble. Procedures are suitably understood by staff and are practised regularly, consequently, children's safety is promoted well.

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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 Staff have a sound understanding of their child protection responsibilities and are sufficiently clear on the appropriate responses, for example if there was an allegation made against a member of staff.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enter the group confidently and enjoy their time in the nursery. Children have good relationships with staff and most are building positive relationships with their peer group. Most children play happily together or alongside one another, using resources such as stacking-crates, to build a rocket to visit the moon. Equipment is used successfully to develop children’s imaginative play, for example, children use the climbing frame as a tent and are supported well by staff to extend their play. Staff plan a wide range of stimulating experiences and activities to help children learn through play. Children have opportunities to self-select items of interest from the ‘discovery trolley’. They enjoy sensory play, and they have good opportunities to investigate different textures, which they explore with interest. They feel their way though shredded paper and wet sand to discover such creatures as hidden

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

dinosaurs. Children build on their natural curiosity as young learners through first hand experiences. Nursery Funded Education is satisfactory. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children are making steady progress towards the early learning goals. Most staff have a good knowledge and understanding of how children learn and use the stepping stones to identify and record children's achievements. Planning links to the stepping stones ensures a wide range of activities and experiences are provided to support children's leaning. Observations and assessments are developing well and are used to inform planning. Staff engage in children's play but do not always offer appropriate challenges to extend their learning. Most behaviour is managed and supported well and a calm, caring environment is provided for all children. Children are developing their independence through participation in routine activities

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

such as, tidying away toys, putting away their own coats and by selecting their own toys and games. Not all children are helped to learn what is right and wrong, although, children are beginning to share and take turns. They are learning that print carries meaning through seeing words in everyday situations such as labels on toy boxes, in display work and in friezes, in the role play area and on their name cards. They have sufficient opportunities to practise their emergent writing skills, but are not always offered appropriate challenges to help them listen, respond and use songs and rhymes or to link sounds to initial letters. They are beginning to make marks with paint and crayons, and they use pencils and paper to make their shopping lists. Children understand and are beginning to use numbers well. Some count down reliably from 10 to 1, when blasting off in their space rocket to the moon. They show

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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 an interest in matching and sorting. They have good opportunities to develop basic calculation skills through planned games and number-work activities. Children are provided with a variety of activities which enable them to explore their immediate surroundings, for example collecting leaves and twigs from outdoors. There are limited opportunities for children to find out about and identify features in the local and wider community as the setting presently do not go on outings or visits. They enjoy sawing and constructing with large cardboard boxes and recycled materials. Children express themselves freely through painting and enjoy exploring many different textures such as sand, water and man-made materials. Children move confidently throughout the nursery setting and are developing good

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

coordination skills. They show a good awareness of space and handle a range of small tools and large equipment well. Children's imagination is well developed through use of the resources and improvised play. Children make the most of their time outdoors as a result of staff providing a range of creative activities and imaginative resources to benefit children's learning and enjoyment.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children settle well because staff work closely with parents to ensure their individual child's needs are met. They benefit from the positive relationships developed between staff and parents through sharing information and regular discussion. Children behave well in response to requests from staff. Not all children are offered opportunities to learn right from wrong, however, they are beginning to understand about sharing and taking turns with equipment and are praised consistently. This positive approach fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Practitioners ensure that resources, activities and displays represent individuals from the wider community, this helps children develop a positive attitude toward others and their differences. The partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents receive good written information on how the setting operates in the form of a welcome brochure. There is

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Helping children make a positive contribution

a satisfactory system in place to support children with special needs. Staff welcome the ‘Birth to three matters’ framework and are beginning to promote it and provide parents with a pictorial record of their child’s all round development. Parents of children who receive nursery education funding are given a more detailed profile of their child’s achievements. Consistency is further advanced by daily verbal and written feedback to ensure parents are informed about their child’s activities, play, leaning and care.

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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 The organisation is good. Children are kept healthy and their welfare is guarded as most policies and procedures work well in practice and are shared effectively with parents. The emergency medical treatment and advice form lacks clarity and results in children's health being compromised. There are effective procedures in place to ensure staff caring for children in the nursery are all suitably vetted. There are clear systems in place to keep well maintained medication and accident records, which are shared with parents. Staff who work directly with the children are all appropriately qualified and children are well supported. Staff work well together and there is a supportive management structure in place. Most staff have a suitable working knowledge of the 'Curriculum Guidance for the

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Organisation

foundation stage' and are keen to extend their knowledge on the newly implemented the 'Birth to three matters’ framework, to ensure care, development and learning programmes are delivered effectively. Most teaching methods used by staff help and support children's progress to the next steps of learning through appropriately planned activities and routines. Leadership and management is good. Managers take an active part in the setting, they monitor nursery education provision and are committed to continuous improvement and development. Staff are supported with regular appraisals, supervision, team meetings and ongoing training. Consequently the leadership and management of the setting are good. Overall the provision meets the needs of the children who attend.

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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 complaints 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

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 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): • clarify and review the emergency medical treatment and advice procedure and update the consent form

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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): • help children to understand right and wrong through planned activities, routines and discussions • offer more challenges for children to listen, respond and use songs and rhymes and to link sounds to initial letters • increase opportunities for children to find out about and identify features in the local community.

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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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