Audlen House Day Nursery

Audlen House Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY100052 Inspection date 04/06/2010 Inspector Doreen Forsyth

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Setting address 131 Station Road, Thatcham, Berkshire, RG19 4QH

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Telephone number 01635 876667 Email aesopaudlen@aol.com 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

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B.

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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

Audlen House Day Nursery is one of two privately owned nurseries. The nursery was opened in January 2002. It operates from a detached building situated near the town centre of Thatcham in Berkshire. The nursery is set out over two floors. There is a large, enclosed, rear outside play area.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register to care for up to 46 children under the age of eight; of these, no more than 15 children may be under the age of two. Currently, there are 58 children on roll, 29 of these are in receipt of government funding for free nursery education. The nursery is open weekdays from 8.00am until 6.00pm throughout the year.

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Description of the setting

There are 14 members of staff working with the children, of these 12 have relevant early years qualifications at level 2 or above. The nursery 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 children at Audlen House Day Nursery are very settled, happy and confident. The staff work closely with parents to meet the children's individual learning and welfare needs. Staff understand that each child is unique and has individual needs. All children are welcomed and valued whatever their backgrounds. The children are all making good progress in their learning and development and enjoy using the nursery's exciting outside play facilities. The managers are very aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the setting and are continuously planning for improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 review the risk assessments to promote children's safety, this includes using harnesses on all high chairs and ensuring children cannot access hazardous materials  review the organisation of snacks and mealtimes to help children develop their independence by serving themselves whenever appropriate, to ensure that they are always well supervised and that good hygiene routines are observed  continue to explore ways of engaging with parents so that they are well informed about their children's progress, about the contents of children's meals and snacks and about the setting's safe-guarding procedures.  ensure that all records of the children's progress are regularly reviewed and are kept up to date so that they are an effective tool in identifying the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children's individual learning needs

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the early years provision

Those in charge at the nursery are focused on helping the children to make good progress in their learning and to meet their welfare needs. All of the policies procedures and records that are necessary to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and to ensure the children's needs are met are in place and well kept. Parents have access to most of the setting's policies in their welcome and information packs, but they have limited information about the safeguarding children procedures. Most staff are skilled in protecting children and are very confident in the procedures they would follow if they had any child protection concerns. The staff are mostly well qualified; they are encouraged to regularly update their skills and knowledge so that they can promote good outcomes for children. They all undergo robust induction and vetting procedures to ensure their suitability; any unvetted adults in the nursery do not have

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the early years provision

The children's safety and welfare is a very high priority in the nursery. Staff have risk assessed the premises and garden to identify and minimised any potential hazards to the children; but these assessments should be reviewed as there are some areas of safety that require further attention. The managers must also review the overall organisation of daily routines to ensure children are always well supervised at meal times and good hygiene routines are always maintained. The nursery is extremely well resourced; children have good access to all the toys and can easily choose what they wish to play with; this helps them to become independent. There is an extremely attractive and well resourced garden for all the children to use, but because most of the children's playrooms are on the first floor they cannot freely access the outside play areas, although the babies and toddlers enjoy many activities on their covered veranda.

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the early years provision

Parents are well informed of the children's daily activities; parents of babies have a daily diary which goes home after each session. There are parents' notice boards and regular newsletters. A parents' evening is organised once a term. However, in a recent questionnaire some parents said felt they were not well informed about their children's progress and attainments. The setting is aware that they must maintain links with any other early years providers that the children use. The nursery offers inclusive practice, where all children's needs are met and all children are helped to achieve as well as they can. Managers, with the staff evaluate and monitor the quality of the provision they provide and they have many aims and plans for future improvement.

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and outcomes for children

The children are progressing well in all areas of their learning and are moving appropriately towards the early learning goals. They are very happy and relaxed at This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the nursery and quickly gain in confidence. Staff plan many very interesting and age-appropriate activities for the children. For example, the babies and toddlers enjoyed exploring playdough, singing rhymes and using climbing resources. The older children enjoyed the outside play activities such as balancing and climbing, using sand and water and listening to stories in a shady part of the garden. The children take part in many activities that help them to learn about the natural world. Recently they visited a garden centre and bought plants and seeds to grow in raised beds in the garden. They have tended and watered the plants and now have a large selection of vegetables growing for them to taste and enjoy once they

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and outcomes for children

are ready. Staff observe and record the children's activities and achievements in the children's 'learning dairies'. These are used to show the children's progress and to identify individual learning targets for each child. However, these are not kept up to date by some keyworkers so are not always an effective way of identifying how they staff can help children on to the next step in their learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children feel safe and secure in the nursery and quickly develop a strong sense of belonging. There is good interaction between the children and their keyworkers, and some of the older children have built very strong friendship bonds. They are learning well about keeping themselves safe, for example, all the two to five year old children very confidently negotiate the stairs to the first floor. The nursery provides all the children's meals and snacks; they have two cooks that prepare meals on the site. The menus are displayed for parents. The meals are generally well-balanced and nutritious. If children have any special dietary requirements these are well noted and observed. The older children can always access drinking water and the staff regularly offer babies drinks. When playing outside in sunny weather staff ensure the children are protected from the sun and wear sunhats. The children are learning suitable hygiene routines such as washing their hands

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and outcomes for children

when necessary. The children have good opportunities for rest and sleep in their daily routines; the babies use travel cots in a dedicated sleep room. The garden provides many opportunities for the children to play in the fresh air and take part in physical exercise. There are good resources for the children to use to practise their balancing and climbing skills, such as using the 'mushrooms' at the bottom of the garden to balance on.

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and outcomes for children

Children are developing some of the skills they will need for the future. They are progressing well in communicating and literacy, some children are very good at expressing their ideas in words. They use information technology as an everyday resource. Through their topics and planned activities they are learning well about the wider world. Staff are planning to use the 'World Cup' as a topic to help children explore different countries and cultures. Babies enjoy exploring their surroundings and the different toys set out for them. The children generally behave very well; the older children helped to decide the rules of the group which they often discuss at group times. They play well together and co-operate in their play, such as when enjoying role play in the home corner. Through their activities and the resources they use, the children are beginning to develop an understanding of diversity and they are encouraged to learn to consider the needs

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and outcomes for children

of others. 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 3 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 3 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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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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