Partou Brimstage Village Day Nursery & Pre-SchoolOfsted inspection, 2 Jun 2010

Jack and Jill Nursery (Brimstage) Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY403311 Inspection date 02/06/2010 Inspector Gillian Sutherland

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Setting address Brimstage Village Hall, Brimstage Road, Higher Bebington, Wirral, Mersyside, CH63 6HD Telephone number Email admin@jackandjill-nursery.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

Jack and Jill Day Nursery (Brimstage) was registered in 2009 and is one of three settings owned and managed by Wirral Nurseries Limited. The nursery operates from a converted building situated in the Higher Bebington area of the Wirral. Children are cared for in age-related rooms located on the ground floor. There is a secure area available for outdoor play. The nursery is able to support children with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register to care for a maximum of 50 children aged in the early years age group at any one time. There are currently 13 children on roll. The nursery is open five days a week from 7.30am to 6pm all year round excluding bank holidays.

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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

Children are cared for in an extremely welcoming and stimulating environment in which they are able to make good progress in their learning and development. The activity programme is varied and includes a range of adult- and child-led activities. Staff safeguard and promote the welfare of children in this nursery, and have an in-depth knowledge of their individual needs which are incorporated into the day- to-day planning of the activity programme. A detailed self-evaluation of the nursery ensures that plans and future training needs are clearly identified. The staff team shows a commitment to improving outcomes for children and staff are keen to attend any additional training that will help them develop their skills further.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further the observation and assessment processes to ensure they clearly indicate each child's starting points and the next steps in children's learning.

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the early years provision

Children’s welfare is given a high priority within the nursery and children are fully safeguarded through robust staff recruitment and employment procedures. Children's safety is further promoted as thorough ongoing risk assessments for the premises and outings ensure the children's safety is maintained at all times.

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the early years provision

The highly committed staff team is experienced and appropriately qualified. The staff's knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 framework ensure that children participate in an age-appropriate activity programme and are able to make good progress in their learning and development. As the nursery has only been registered since December and the children are new to the setting, the observation and assessment procedures adopted by the staff team are in the early stages and the starting points for some of the children attending are not clearly identified. Staff have begun to create a learning journey file for each child attending which contains written and pictorial evidence of their progress and development. Staff have also begun to develop partnerships with other providers who are involved in the care and education of

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the early years provision

the children; for example, arranging a visit from a local headteacher or Reception class teacher from a school that a child may be moving on to from the nursery. Staff have very good relationships with parents, and information about the activities undertaken at nursery on a daily basis is maintained on a daily diary sheet kept in the children’s learning journey files. The entrance hall is where information for parents is made available and such information includes posters and DVDs about the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, the nursery policies and future nursery events. Additional information for parents is available on noticeboards throughout the nursery.

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the early years provision

Staff are keen to attend additional training to ensure that they keep themselves updated of changes in legislation and current childcare practices. Policies, records and documents have been reviewed to reflect such changes.

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and outcomes for children

As children arrive at nursery they are welcomed and greeted warmly by the staff. The different areas in the nursery are decorated with posters and displays plus children’s art and craft work. The excellent range of resources within the different learning areas ensures the nursery is inviting. Children enthusiastically enter the nursery, eager to play with the resources and activities available and to learn alongside other children and the adults. For example, when a group of children were accessing a water play activity the staff member asked if they wanted coloured water. One child asked for pink and the other for blue, and the staff member responded by asking if they would like to see what happened if they mixed the water with pink and blue. The children eagerly watched as the coloured water became purple when mixed together and their activity continued with the children talking to each other and to the member of staff regarding this. Each day

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and outcomes for children

children learn new skills and participate in a very varied range of activities and experiences; staff actively support children's learning and interact with them as they participate in their chosen activities. They have introduced the children to the concept of recycling unwanted items, such as cardboard and plastic bottles, and have recycling containers in their pre-school room.

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and outcomes for children

Children thoroughly enjoy their outside activities in the well-equipped outdoor area. They run around freely on the grassed area and learn to balance and climb as they access the sturdy and purpose-built equipment. Children are also learning how different fruits and vegetables grow as they tend their allotment area with the staff, hoping to enjoy their produce as part of their prepared lunches or snacks. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Gentle reminders from staff ensure that children learn about personal hygiene and the need to wash their hands at appropriate times during the day; for example, after participating in a messy play activity and always before enjoying their snacks or lunch. Children can freely access drinks of milk or water. Serving their own portions of food at lunch times promotes good self-help skills for children, who have the opportunity to indicate whether they have enjoyed the lunches provided

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and outcomes for children

as a smiley or sad face is drawn on the daily menu sheet.

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and outcomes for children

The creative organisation of the play space encourages purposeful play and exploration, enabling children to make independent choices and to be active in instigating their own play. Children follow examples shown by staff, who are good role models for them and, as a result of this, children behave well and learn to share and take turns when playing games. Communication skills are well promoted because staff talk to the children throughout the day as they participate in the very varied range of activities. In this inclusive environment children learn about the differing cultures and needs of others, not only in their local environment, but also in the wider world as they participate in planned activities, including the celebration of different festivals as they occur throughout the year. A large ‘Welcome’ poster in the entrance hall of the nursery reflects children from different cultures and also with differing physical abilities. Resources are available, including

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and outcomes for children

books and jigsaws, which also help children develop an understanding of the needs of others. The staff have devised imaginative ways of communicating with children and their families for whom English is an additional language.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy painting and craft activities, and a very well-equipped area ensures that children are able to create their works of art using such materials as paint, glitter, feathers and collage pieces of different coloured paper and material. Staff interact positively with the children as they begin to make marks on paper with paintbrushes and crayons. Chalks are freely accessible, with the chalk boards secured to the wall in the pre-school area. Mark-making activities for the children in the younger age groups start as they access write-on and wipe-off boards within their designated area. Children receive lots of praise and encouragement from the staff as they complete their works of art, which some proudly take home, while other pieces may be used to complete their learning journeys. Children in the different age groups access and enjoy the malleable materials during their day, including gloop, pastry and dough, thus developing an understanding about

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and outcomes for children

different textures. Their small muscle development is well promoted as they access a range of small tools, including shape cutters for rolling out pastry or scissors for cutting out the paper or card shapes. Staff are always close by to ensure children are made aware of safety issues when using such resources. Children accessing the nursery computers quickly and skilfully learn how to manoeuvre the mouse to obtain the required movement or pictures on the screen. 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 1 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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