Windrush Nursery

Windrush Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 145963 Inspection date 30/06/2010 Inspector Samantha Powis

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Setting address 2 Windrush Cottages, West Dean, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP5 1HR Telephone number 01794 884888 Email 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 . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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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

Windrush Nursery has been registered to care for children since 1988. The nursery is privately owned and operates from the proprietor's semi-detached house in a rural setting close to West Dean, near Salisbury in Wiltshire. The children have access to the ground floor of the house, which includes cloakroom facilities and three playrooms. There is level access to all areas of the nursery. There is a large enclosed garden for outdoor play. The nursery serves villages in the local area. The nursery opens four days a week during school term times. Sessions run on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9.15am to 3pm.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register to care for 16 children. There are currently 21 children on roll. Including the owner, there are three staff who work with the children. The owner has an early years teaching qualification and both staff members are qualified to level 3 in childcare. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is inadequate.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The setting fail to ensure children's safety is protected due to weak systems for checking staff's suitability and ineffective procedures for risk assessment. Staff lack a confident knowledge of child protection procedures and are not supported by clear written policies to ensure all children are safeguarded. Some documents are not used effectively to support children's ongoing safety. Staff form good relationships with parents to ensure children's individual needs and preferences are fully understood. This means children are happy and settled within the nursery and making good progress in their learning and development. Although staff have started to look at self-evaluation, this is not used effectively to enable them to identify all areas for improvement to ensure changes are made to support children's welfare.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall, the early years provision requires significant improvement. The registered person is given a Notice to Improve that sets out actions to be carried out.

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further?

To comply with the requirements of the EYFS the registered person must take the following action by the specified date:

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further?

 implement rigorous staff recruitment and vetting procedures to ensure children's ongoing safety is protected (Staffing arrangements) 14/07/2010

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further?

 keep records of the information used to assess staff suitability, including the unique reference numbers of CRB Disclosures and the date on which they were 14/07/2010 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 obtained (Staffing arrangements)  implement an effective safeguarding policy and procedure which includes the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff (Safeguarding and welfare) 13/08/2010

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further?

 take all reasonable steps to ensure that hazards to children, both indoors and outdoors are minimised (Suitable premises, environment and equipment) 14/07/2010

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further?

 maintain a daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance (Documentation) 14/07/2010

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further?

To improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 review hand washing routines to ensure the risk of cross infection is minimised.

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the early years provision

Safeguarding procedures are not clear to ensure that appropriate action is taken in the event of a child protection concern. Staff have some awareness of signs and symptoms which may concern them, but are not confident with the procedure to follow should a concern arise. The written child protection policy does not include a procedure to follow in the event of an allegation against a member of staff. Steps are taken to ensure the premises are secure and staff make sure children are supervised at all times. Although written risk assessments are sometimes completed, they fail to help staff to identify and address all safety issues to minimise hazards to children. For example, brick steps in the garden are broken and lose and some storage boxes used to keep toys indoors are split and broken leaving sharp jagged edges.

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the early years provision

Staff recruitment and vetting procedures are not effective. There are no systems to ensure that students or volunteers, who are sometimes left unsupervised with the children, have been CRB checked. Records of completed checks for permanent staff are not maintained by the registered person to demonstrate their suitability to work with children. There are no systems in place to ensure that any new staff appointed are checked fully to establish their suitability prior to working with the children. These failures to meet the requirements of registration mean that children's safety is compromised.

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the early years provision

Written policies and procedures are in place, however, some of these lack detail and have not been recently updated to ensure they support staff in their role and meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. A daily register is maintained, but no accurate record is kept of the times of children's attendance. This is a requirement of registration. Staff work closely together as a team sharing information about children's needs which ensures that on a daily basis their welfare, learning and development is supported. They have started to develop systems to help them to evaluate their own practice. However, although This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 these identify many areas where the nursery is doing well, such as supporting children's learning, it does not identify all weaknesses or when the setting are failing to meet regulatory requirements, to ensure children are fully protected

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the early years provision

Staff ensure children have access to a broad range of toys and equipment, most of which is maintained to a suitable standard. They are sensitive to the needs of all children and support them very well as they play, helping each child to progress at their own pace. Activities are fun and exciting and often involve real experiences. This ensures children are fully involved, motivated and enjoying their learning.

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the early years provision

Good relationships are established with parents and carers which means they are well informed about the provision and increasingly involved in their child's learning. Parents receive detailed information through the prospectus and are updated regularly. There are many opportunities for sharing information to meet individual needs, as key persons are always on hand to chat to parents at the beginning and end of each day. More formal arrangements, where all staff meet with parents to share children's learning journeys, are offered which helps parents and staff work consistently to support each child. There are good systems in place to support children with additional needs. Staff liaise closely with parents and external agencies to ensure children's needs are met and they are fully supported and included within the setting. Staff liaise with other early years settings which children attend or go on to attend which helps to promote continuity.

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and outcomes for children

Children throughout the nursery are happy, settled and secure. They thoroughly enjoy the time they spend at nursery, building good relationships with staff and each other. Children are encouraged to be active, independent learners. Excellent staff interaction ensures children's learning is very well supported as they engage in their own choice of activities. Through discussion and explanation they encourage children to be inquisitive and think things through. Children develop a strong sense of belonging. They enjoy looking at the photographs of themselves and like to see their own creative work displayed on the walls, boosting their confidence and self-esteem. Children learn to take turns and share equipment, enabling them to play well together with their friends. This is due to effective strategies used by staff, such as using the timer to ensure everyone has a fair go. Children understand boundaries and expectations and are offered praise and

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and outcomes for children

encouragement frequently which encourages them to behave well.

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and outcomes for children

Children's learning is supported well. Regular observations made by all staff are used to monitor children's development and record their progress. These often accompany photographs taken of a child achieving a goal or task, capturing the steps they are taking. These records, the 'Learning Journeys', are then used to help staff plan future activities. This ensures that individual children are supported well in taking the next step in their learning and development through participating in activities which reflect their interests, preferences and stage of development. There is a good balance of group and child-led activities and opportunities to play This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 indoors and out. The enabling environment provides children with easily accessible resources to promote their independent play and exploration. Children are confident communicators. They ask questions of staff, visitors and each other

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and outcomes for children

which helps to secure their learning and extend their understanding. They enjoy books and stories and regularly refer to books when engaging in activities to support what they are learning. For example, as children enjoy the role play area which is set up as a doctor's surgery, they can access books about going to the doctor's and hospital. They are frequently involved in problem solving and use numbers regularly as they play. As children talk about the foods that are good for them, they discuss how many pieces of apple they would have if they cut it in half or in quarters, introducing them to fractions.

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and outcomes for children

Children constantly have access to materials which allow them to express themselves creatively and encourage them in mark making. Children independently wheel over the writing trolley to their table when they feel they want to do some mark making for themselves. Children enjoy using resources, such as glue, pens and sticks, to create their own skeletons in relation to the work they are doing about their bodies. Each picture is very individual and highly valued by staff and other children. Some children identify the names of parts of the skeleton, such as the skull, showing their increasing awareness of their own bodies, others use their imaginations to make up new names, demonstrating their confidence and security.

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and outcomes for children

Children's natural curiosity is captured as they are involved in many opportunities to explore. They have made their own volcanoes, learning about the effect of different substances on one another, and regularly learn about events in the natural world as they explore the rural surroundings. They observe chicks hatching and lambs being born on the farm and have recently been fascinated by the rapid growth and development of the puppies. They have daily access to technology, using a computer and electronic toys to help them to gain skills which will support them in later life.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn to wash their hands after they have used the toilet and before they have their snack, however, they all use the same hand towel which does not help to prevent germs being spread. They learn a lot about health and nutrition as they talk about foods that are good for them. After a walk up a hill they are encouraged to notice the change in their heart rate, helping them to start to understand the positive effective of exercise on their bodies. Weaknesses in leadership and management with regards to safeguarding, risk assessment and staff recruitment and vetting, mean that children's safety is not protected. Children are developing an awareness of keeping themselves safe. They talk the importance of wearing helmets on their bicycles and take part in practising the emergency evacuation procedure. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 4 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 4

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 4 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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