Kids Planet Stone

Giggles and Wiggles Ltd

Inspection report for early years provision

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Giggles and Wiggles Ltd

Unique Reference Number EY293756 Inspection date 26 October 2005 Inspector Rosemary Linda Tomkins

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Giggles and Wiggles Ltd

Setting Address Mount Estate, Mount Road, Stone, Staffordshire, ST15 8LL

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E-mail

Registered person Giggles and Wiggles Ltd 05169243 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 good. 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Giggles and Wiggles Day Nursery opened in 2004 and operates from a converted Victorian house and a portakabin. It is situated on a business park close to the town of Stone, Staffordshire. A maximum of 62 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 07.30 to 18.00 all year round. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 71 children aged from 7 months to 4 years on roll. Of these, 8

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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 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local and surrounding areas. The nursery supports children with special needs. The nursery employs 18 staff. Twelve of the staff, including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications. Four staff are working towards a level 3 qualification.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children learn the importance of personal hygiene through planned routines. They know, for example, that they have to wash their hands before dinner and wash their hands after using the toilet. Staff follow effective procedures such as, wearing disposable gloves for nappy changing. Regular cleaning of the changing areas sustains good levels of hygiene and helps reduce the risk of cross contamination. Clear procedures for sick and infectious children are used to help prevent the spread of infection and keep children healthy. Children benefit from a healthy diet. However, children are not able to help themselves to fresh water, as drinks are only offered at set times. This means that children cannot choose to meet their individual needs. Children have a variety of snacks of bread sticks and fruit. Children over one year have three meals a day prepared from fresh ingredients by the cook. Generally, parents provide food for

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Helping children to be healthy

children under one year. Menus are displayed and all dietary requirements are discussed with parents. This helps to ensure children remain healthy. All children enjoy playing outside twice a day. They join in free-play and organised activities, such as, running races, using wheeled toys and a parachute. Children have walks to the park on a regular basis. This means that children have a positive attitude to exercise and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Staff provide a satisfactory range of outdoor experiences for babies and children to age three, for example, practising walking and sitting in pushchairs watching the older children. All are able to rest and be active according to their needs. Children are comfortable and secure in the quiet rest and sleep areas supported by staff who ensure their daily routines are followed.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in very well organised environment, where risks to children are limited through good safety and security procedures. Staff monitor access to the nursery at all times with closed-circuit camera television screens at the locked entrance door and outdoor areas. The grounds are fully secure and protected by two bolted gates. The manager ensures there are sufficient staff for walks to help children stay safe and there are clear written procedures in place. Risk assessments are

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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 completed regularly together with daily safety checks for each room. However, children in the pre-school rooms are exposed to hazard from unprotected electrical sockets. Children use a range of safe, good quality, developmentally appropriate resources. These are very well maintained and presented by staff to enable children to choose from the varied range stored at low level. Staff consistently explain safe practices, such as holding onto to the banisters and forming a line to walk to the bathroom. This helps children learn to take responsibility for keeping themselves safe. Children are protected by staff who have a good understanding of child protection issues and follow the correct procedures.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are secure in the nursery's welcoming and caring environment. They have positive relationships with staff. The nursery make effective use of the 'Birth to three matters' framework to ensure children progress at a steady rate. Children play happily together using resources such as, activity toys, books, home corner and moving in time to songs, all suitable to their age and stage of development. All children enjoy exploration with paint, water and sand which helps children represent their feelings and ideas in a variety of ways. Younger children in the Imps room show much interest as they react to images of themselves in the mirror. In the Pixies and Elves rooms the children's language and communication skills are promoted well by staff through constant conversation, questions and individual attention. Consequently, children are developing their communication skills and are able to express their needs.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

There is a very good range of resources to promote imaginative play and all children play together in groups in the home-corner acting out activities, such as cooking and cleaning. As a result children's social skills are developing well. Staff use observations and assessments for all children which help staff plan for the next steps for play and learning and show how each child is developing new skills. Therefore, children under three are extending their learning to reach their full potential. Staff evaluate planned activities and adjust to remain flexible and meet individual children's needs. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. There is a reorganised staff team who have developed their knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage well to judge the impact of activities on the children. Staff plan and provide a varied range of activities under each area of learning, the learning intention is recorded and relates to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the stepping stones so that all aspects are covered. Children's interest and attention are maintained to ensure children are achieving and progressing.

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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 Staff use effective methods to maintain children's interest, such as spending the majority of their time working directly with the children and asking understandable questions. This means that children are appropriately challenged and engaged. Organisation of group time is flexible and encourages children's learning to help children concentrate because staff stimulate interest. Children are clear about the purpose of adult led planned activities and frequently join in with their own ideas and home experiences. Development is good, particularly in the areas of communication, language and literacy, knowledge and understanding of the world and mathematics. Behaviour is well-managed and this results in a calm and caring environment for children. Children show a strong sense of belonging as they greet each other and staff on

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

arrival. Children are interested and engaged in their free play as they select and carry out activities and assume responsibility for personal care. Children are encouraged to pour drinks and help lay the lunch table. However, children are not encouraged to further develop their independence and manage their own tasks by serving their own food and snacks. Children are friendly, show care and concern for others and respond positively to staff's high expectations of levels of behaviour. Children speak clearly and confidently with each other, and listen intently to stories and independently select books for pleasure. They are beginning to recognise their own names and are able to sound letters in words. Children demonstrate that they know how to form letters, they practise letter tracing and write their own names on drawings. Children are beginning to understand and use numbers. They count meaningfully up

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

to five and in some cases beyond. They are developing problem solving skills, when counting chairs and understanding that they need more forks for all the children. Children demonstrate that they understand shape, quantity and size as they compare shapes of everyday objects. Children practise counting and comparing during everyday routines. This means that children use number names and number language spontaneously. Children develop an initial sense of time and place through themes and drawings of places local to the nursery. They gain knowledge of the environment as they are taken on regular walks in the community and to the park. Children are introduced to other cultures and customs as they celebrate Diwali with art activities and stories. They are fully developing their knowledge of the natural world as they have regular opportunities to investigate growing things and use natural materials. Frequent use of the outdoor areas help children develop their physical skills, children

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

use large apparatus and one-handed tools competently. They play on the large climbing frame, wheeled toys and use outside activity equipment competently. Children use paintbrushes, cutters and one handed tools with good control. They are able to express themselves through play dough and exploring different textures and name colours competently. They use their imagination and a range of rhythmic movements as they take part in singing nursery rhymes. Free play is used very well by the children who enjoy making up their own imaginative games, such as pretending to be animals when playing with the farm.

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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. Children enjoy positive relationships with the staff and with each other. They are valued and respected as individuals and their confidence and self-esteem is developed well by staff with use of praise and encouragement on arrival and during their play throughout the day. Staff ensure that the resources positively represent the children who attend as well as individuals from the wider community. Children visit the local park and surrounding areas to increase their knowledge of the world around them. This helps raise children's awareness of diversity and develop a positive attitude to others. Children behave well, they take turns, share, help each other and remember to say 'please' and 'thank you'. This positive approach fosters children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The nursery's policies and procedures promote inclusion for all children. The entrance to the nursery ensures it is suitable for all to access. Although the setting

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Helping children make a positive contribution

does not currently care for any children with special needs, senior staff have formulated a system to offer appropriate support. All children benefit from the positive partnership staff have developed with parents. This means children settle well because staff work closely with parents to ensure their child's needs are met. Parents are made aware of how the setting operates through the prospectus. They are informed of topics and operational changes verbally, from the parents' notice board and printed information sheets located at the entrance to each room. Children's individual needs are discussed and recorded, daily exchange of information keeps parents informed of their child's well-being. Progress records are accessible to parents in each group room. Partnership with parents and carers of children who receive nursery education is good. They receive detailed information on the educational programme and are actively involved in provided

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Helping children make a positive contribution

resources for their children and have open access to regular written development reports.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Leadership and management is good. There are robust recruitment procedures which ensure staff are appropriately qualified and vetted. The manager ensures there are the required level of qualified staff working with all children. Staff are sufficiently experienced and knowledgeable to ensure children's individual needs are fully met. Children in the pre-school room in receipt of funding for nursery education are achieving and progressing because the teaching methods are effective. Children's records and staff details are stored securely in the office area and available for inspection. Staff attend training on a rolling programme and are keen to increase their understanding of children's development and knowledge of appropriate activities. Staff in the pre-school rooms are supported by an advisory teacher who provides positive examples of good practice to increase their knowledge and

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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 Good induction training and appropriate policies and procedures work in practice to keep children healthy and safeguard their welfare. There are clear systems in place for recording accidents, medication and attendance. All documentation is maintained to a good standard. The policies and procedures are continually undergoing review and update to reflect the progressive improvement of the operational practice. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend the nursery.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since April 2004 there have been two complaints, the first, relating to National Standard 13 - Child Protection and National Standard 12 - Working in Partnership with Parents and Carers. In order to investigate the concerns, Ofsted asked the Registered Person to conduct a thorough internal investigation and provide a copy, along with supporting records and documentation. Ofsted requested a copies of the accident and incident forms completed and a copy of the child protection policy. In addition, Ofsted asked the Registered Person to clarify any discussions held and any action taken with regard to the concerns. Ofsted also asked the Registered Person to demonstrate how they ensure that staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities with regard to child protection matters. All information requested was received within the timescale set. A Childcare Inspector Team Manager reviewed the detailed information submitted and is satisfied

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Complaints since the last inspection

that appropriate action was taken in this instance and that the National Standards have been met. The Registered Person remains qualified for registration. The second complaint related to National Standard 1 - Suitable Person and National Standard 7 - Hygiene. Ofsted investigated the concerns directly with the Registered Person. Ofsted asked the Registered Person to interview relevant staff members, provide certain documentation and demonstrate how the National Standards had been met in relation to the concerns raised. All information requested was provided within the timescales set. This information has now been reviewed and we are satisfied that the Registered Person has conducted a thorough investigation and taken appropriate action as a result. Ofsted was satisfied that the setting was meeting the requirements of the National Standards. The Registered Person remain qualified for registration. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they

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Complaints since the last inspection

can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those

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Complaints since the last inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 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 good. 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 good.

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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): • ensure the electrical sockets in the pre-school rooms do not pose a hazard to children • ensure that children are able to access fresh drinking water at all times

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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): • further develop opportunities for children to increase their personal independence during everyday routine snack and meal times.

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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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