Little People AspullOfsted inspection, 8 Nov 2005

Little People Aspull

Inspection report for early years provision

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Little People Aspull

Unique Reference Number EY234492 Inspection date 08 November 2005 Inspector Angela Rowley

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Little People Aspull

Setting Address Holly Road, Aspull, Wigan, Greater Manchester, WN2 1RY

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E-mail

Registered person Andrew and Colleen Farrell 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?

Little People Day Nursery is one of two nurseries in private ownership. It was an existing nursery and was taken over by the present providers in 2002. It is situated in a residential area of Aspull, Wigan and operates from five rooms in a converted building. A maximum of 70 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 07:30 to 18:00 for 51 weeks of the year, excluding Bank Holidays. All children share access to an enclosed outdoor play area.

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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 There are currently 67 children aged from birth to under 5 years on roll. Of these, 26 receive funding for nursery education. The nursery currently supports a number of children with special educational needs, and also supports children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs eleven care staff with nine of the staff, including the manager holding appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery receives support from community advisory teachers from Wigan Sure Start.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children know the importance of good personal hygiene as they wash and dry their hands independently after using the toilet. They learn about good hygiene practice as they are provided with activities which support this in addition to pictorial reminders displayed in the bathroom. Children's health is well protected as staff consistently practice good hygiene at key times, such as when nappy changing and during mealtimes. They are well informed about and implement effective procedures, such as, labelling babies cots and bedding, which helps prevent the spread of infection. They keep toys and equipment to a good standard of cleanliness. Staff use the Birth to three matters guidance satisfactorily to promote the aspects of a healthy child by planning some appropriate activities and through many more natural interactions and routines. For example, creating close loving relationships which

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Helping children to be healthy

enable babies to snuggle in and look for a familiar carer for comfort. There are strong systems in place to establish individual children's needs and routines and babies are emotionally well supported through mostly consistent key-workers. Children are well nourished. They receive a varied diet with the provision of fruit and vegetables each day. They enjoy mealtimes as they are treated as a social occasion with children dining in small groups. Babies feed independently from an early age exploring finger foods in their highchair and using feeder cups. Continuous snack provision in the pre-school room enables older children to respond to their own bodily needs by accessing drinks independently. All children develop good physical skills as they enjoy free movement in ample space. They enjoy regular outdoor play on a suitable range of equipment which contributes to their good health, although more able children are not always

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Helping children to be healthy

physically challenged by it. Staff plan regular outdoor activities although they are sometimes too easily put off by the weather. Children are agile and move confidently as they enjoy planned music and movement sessions with an external tutor.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in generally well maintained, clean and well presented

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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 premises, although some known maintenance issues have not received attention. All children benefit from the provision of a stimulating environment created through displays of children's work, posters and items of interest at all levels. Baby areas are satisfactorily organised with separate space to accommodate mobile and non mobile children. However, the organisation of entrance arrangements for all parents through one baby area, creates difficulties for staff managing the cleanliness of the floor on which babies play. The pre-school environment is very well organised with space and equipment planned effectively to promote and provide for all areas of learning. There is an extensive range of equipment available throughout the nursery which is effectively organised to enable children to make independent choices about their

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

play. However, there is little provision to enable children to freely respond to their own bodies by accessing soft furnishings and comfortable areas to relax or rest when needed. There are many strong procedures in place to manage children's safety such as risk assessments and policies relating to outings. Children learn how to keep themselves safe because staff provide specific activities, such as talking about firework safety before bonfire night and through visits from fire and police officers. Staff promote safe practice such as reminders to pick up toys to prevent falls, and children know that during a fire drill they go outside. However, not all staff assess risks accurately. For example, they are unsure of the risks when a resting baby wriggles underneath a blanket and when using highchairs with only a lap restraint. Children are well protected from abuse or neglect. Staff have a clear understanding

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

of the nurseries child protection policy and the manager has a strong awareness of her responsibilities in referring any concerns.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. All children receive a wide range of experiences which help them learn. Staff are beginning to make good use of the Birth to three matters framework to provide interesting exploratory activities such as treasure baskets. Children are happy. Babies and toddlers receive lots of cuddles from nurturing staff who kiss them on waking from their sleeps and when saying goodbye. This increases children's sense of trust and helps them develop a strong sense of self. Children become skilful communicators because staff spend time talking with them, looking at books and singing. Toddlers naturally take books to staff for them to read and point out familiar pictures. Children under two are excited by song time and they join in many key words and actions of familiar songs. Nursery Education. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children are motivated and inspired by many imaginative and stimulating activities. For example, the role play area being set

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

up as a shoe factory following the theme of 'The elves and the shoe maker'. Children make good progress because staff have a secure understanding of the foundation stage curriculum. They are beginning to make effective use of observation and

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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 assessment to help children make progress along the stepping stones. They become independent learners because staff effectively organise the pre-school environment to enable children to make choices and direct their own play and learning. For example, children access a wide range of mark making tools independently to create their own drawings, pictures and 'writing'. Children listen to and enjoy stories. They develop a love of books because staff use them effectively to promote all areas of learning. Children recall favourite characters such as 'Elmer' from which they learned colours and pattern. Children work well together. They play co-operatively in the role play area adopting roles and taking turns to measure each others feet. They are confident using number and many recognise numerals to nine. They use mathematical language in their play

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

because staff introduce this naturally in their play. For example, measuring the length and width of feet. Children make sense of the world around them because staff provide many opportunities to explore different cultural beliefs. Their experiences of diversity are broadened by weekly visits from a French tutor and 'Miss Mai Ling' the movement tutor. However, children receive fewer direct opportunities to explore nature and living things. Staff do not make sufficient use of the large outdoor play area as a resource to support children's learning. Children are very creative. They use and explore art media independently, beginning to draw recognisable images and using their own observations to influence this. They enjoy using paint and recall the many different ways they have used it to create artwork, such as, blowing, printing and using their feet. They use their imaginations well.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children's individuality is valued throughout the nursery. Babies are content and secure because their individual needs and routines are followed. Staff know each child well, which contributes to effective monitoring of their developmental needs. Children are provided with many valuable opportunities to experience cultural and religious diversity through a wide range of resources and planned activities which promote this. For example, recent Halloween and bonfire celebrations in addition to Divali. Clear procedures are in place and followed which ensure that children with special educational needs are effectively supported. Children's behaviour is very good. They play co-operatively and show respect for others because staff effectively promote acts of kindness and use key phrases such as 'hands are not for hitting and words are not for hurting'. This fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. All children develop good levels of

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Helping children make a positive contribution

self esteem as they are praised and encouraged by staff with big cheers of 'well done' and 'hooray'.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Systems to encourage partnerships with parents are outstanding. A wealth of information is provided for parents of all children to keep them informed of their child's daily activities and their developmental progress. Parents of children receiving nursery education are provided with excellent opportunities to learn about their child's progress through termly assessments and one to one meetings with key-workers. Highly effective procedures are in place to involve parents in children's learning for example, bringing in items for the role playtheme, contributing to written assessments, completing home-link activities and sharing 'reading' books. All parents receive extensive opportunities to contribute to written information about their child. A clear settling in process along with parental questionnaires ensures that staff know

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The leadership and management of the provision is good. The current management structure is strong, well organised and well informed. They ensure that they continually seek to increase their knowledge in early years issues. Useful systems are in place to identify staff training needs and effective methods such as staff training nights enable new information to be cascaded to others. This enhances the quality of children's care. Recruitment procedures are strong and include clear measures to check the identity and suitability of potential child-carers. Staff deployment is satisfactory and enables mostly consistent key-workers to care for children. There are many effective systems in place to ensure that minimum required staffing ratios are provided and suitable contingency arrangements are in place. An extensive range of documentation, policies and procedures are in place and used

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Organisation

effectively to promote children's welfare and development. Information regarding the nurseries operation is well organised, known by staff and accessible to parents. Overall, the setting meets the needs of children who attend.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection one recommendation was raised to provide appropriate furniture to assist children's developing mobility and to continue normal life experiences. Children's care has been improved as the nursery has acted upon the recommendation in part. New cots and shelving units have been added to the baby room which encourage the independence of mobility. More appropriate safe staff seating is still to be added to allow staff to feed and cuddle babies in comfort.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection Ofsted has received two complaints relating to Standard 2:

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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 Organisation. The first complaint was raised in September 2005 and related to Standard 2: Organisation, in respect of staffing ratios. An unannounced visit was undertaken and ratios were found to be satisfactory, although an action was raised for the registered person to improve staff attendance records. The second complaint was raised in October 2005 and again related to Standard 2, in respect of staffing ratios and the organisation of the baby room. An unannounced visit was undertaken, both issues were found to be satisfactory. No further action was taken and therefore the provider remains qualified for 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

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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): • provide soft furnishings in all areas of the nursery to allow children to relax or rest in comfort according to their own individual needs • review the entrance arrangements to ensure that parents accessing other parts of the nursery do not unduly affect the organisation and cleanliness of the baby room • ensure that babies are more securely restrained in highchairs and ensure that safe procedures are followed for babies sleeping in cots • ensure that Environmental and Health and Safety regulations are complied with

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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): • improve the use of the outdoor area to provide children with increased opportunities to experience more challenging physical activity and to examine

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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 living things within the natural world.

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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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