Inspirations Nurseries and Forest School

Dolphins Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Dolphins Day Nursery

Unique Reference Number EY296509 Inspection date 23 November 2005 Inspector Thecla Grant

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Dolphins Day Nursery

Setting Address West End Lane, Horsforth, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS18 5JP

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Dolphins Day Nursery

Telephone number 0113 2585800 E-mail www.dolphinsdaynursery.co.uk Registered person Dolphins Day Nursery Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

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Dolphins Day Nursery

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 inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet 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 inadequate - notice of action to improve. At the time of the inspection there were no children in receipt of nursery education. Ofsted judges that the provider remains suitable to provide nursery education.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Dolphin’s nursery is a private day nursery which opened in 2005 and operates from three rooms in a purpose built pre-fabricated building. It is situated on the grounds of

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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 West End Primary School in Horsforth. A maximum of 55 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each week day from 07.30 to 18.00 for 51 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 87 children aged from 3-months to 4-years on roll. There are no funded children on roll. Children come from the local and surrounding areas. The nursery currently supports children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs nine staff. Six of the staff, including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications. One member of staff is working towards a qualification.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Suitable procedures are in place for children to stay healthy. For example, staff clean the tables and the floors after children have eaten. Younger children's personal independence is fostered through potty training. Most of the older children understand simple good health and hygiene practices. For example, 4-year-old's know they can get germs if they do not wash their hands before eating. Children enjoy healthy meals. For example, babies are given a breakfast of porridge with banana or yoghurt and at lunchtime the older children enjoy bolognaise. After lunch all children are given face towels to wipe their hands and faces, however, this does not allow older children to develop their independence in personal care. Children have their health and dietary needs suitably met because the staff work well with parents and know what the children can and cannot eat. All children enjoy playing in the garden. The older children happily play on small sit

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Helping children to be healthy

and ride toys and use their feet to push themselves along. They run in the garden, one child finds a large ball and holds onto it while running. However, opportunities are missed for children in the pre-school room to make good progress in their physical development, due to the lack of age appropriate planning with regard to outdoor activities. Children in the toddler room enjoy playing on the tractor and see-saw which they ride in the play room and enjoy a run around session in the garden. Babies rest and sleep in their cots. However, children in the baby room are not provided with enough opportunities to feel nurtured and valued. Their basic needs are not effectively met, because staff deployment is inappropriate.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is inadequate. Children are cared for in a welcoming environment. Murals are creatively displayed on the walls in the entrance. However, the accommodation is not fully safe and secure for children. For example, the children's push chairs and car seats are piled

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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 up in the foyer, a trailing flex is accessible in the baby room and access to the nursery is not effectively supervised. As a result, children do not benefit from a safe and secure environment. Children use suitable and safe equipment, furniture and toys. These are stimulating and provide sufficient challenge, but are not effectively used. For example, they pick up the small bricks and use them as guns, they bang them together and throw them on the floor. They are not encouraged to tidy the toys away, therefore, causing a trip hazard. As a result , the children are not effectively learning how to keep themselves safe and avoid accidental injury. The safety policy and procedures are in place, but are not consistently implemented. For example, the register in the baby room is in place and filled in with the times of

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

the children's arrival and departure. The registers in the pre-school room and toddler room are not consistently completed and a staff register is not in place. As a result children's safety is compromised. Children are appropriately protected because staff understand their role in child protection and are able to put appropriate procedures into practice when necessary.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is inadequate. Children in the baby room enjoy being together, they crawl on the floor, they look at the hard back books, and play with pushy pulley toys. They are learning by imitating others, for example, a 15- month-old child picks up the dust pan and brush and sweeps the floor. Some babies are enjoying experimenting and exploring, but others are not, because they are left in their high chairs for long periods of time. As a result, the babies are unsettled and their emotional development is not effectively fostered. Two staff sit on the floor with children in the toddler room as they play with the zoo animals and farm. The children make the sound of the animals and repeat what the staff say, however, when a member of staff goes into another room the children disperse from their area and wander aimlessly around. This situation occurs throughout the day. As a result children do not fully benefit from the activities and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

play opportunities provided. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is inadequate. Staff trained in the Foundation Stage are not able to effectively transfer these skills into guiding children through the stepping stones toward the early learning goals. For example, the learning environment is not planned well and the theme is not reflected in the play room. The focus activity offered is not organised effectively and fails to build on children's current knowledge and skills. Children's profiles are sectioned into the areas of learning, but adults do not record the children's progress. Curriculum planning is in progress, but evaluations are not being used to show how children are progressing through the stepping stones or being moved onto the next stages of learning.

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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 Children are making minimal progress in all areas of learning. They enjoy listening to familiar stories and join in with the catch phrases, for example, 'My house is a squash and a squeez'. However, there are no opportunities for children to write for a purpose and opportunities for them to link sound to letters are minimal. Children show interest in counting, for example, 3-year-olds count in sequence with staff as they count the amount of children present. However, insufficient attention is given to numbers for counting and to shape, space and measure. Some children are beginning to show independence in selecting and carrying out activities. For example, after story time 3-year-old decides to make a lion's den, but does not seem to know how to do it and is not supported and encouraged by staff. Children do not know what is expected of

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

them in the pre-school room. As a result, children are not becoming independent learners.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children appropriately benefit from the staff's relationship with their parents. They suitably work with parents to care for their children according to their needs. The staff have a friendly relationship with the parents and happily greet the children as they enter the play rooms. Parents are given a pack which includes policies and procedures of the setting as well as details about the nursery. They are given feedback verbally on a daily basis regarding their children's welfare. However, some confidential records are displayed in the play rooms. The nursery has satisfactory procedures in place to care for children with special needs, and the special needs co-ordinator has attended training. Adult led activities and child initiated activities are not suitably prepared for the children. As a result, the children do not play well with what is available. Children in the toddler room and pre-school room are learning about festivals. For example, they

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Helping children make a positive contribution

are making Christmas trees and Christmas puddings, however, the activity is not appropriately explained to them. There are imbalances in the promotion of one or more elements of the children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, as a result, this is not appropriately fostered. Partnership with parents is inadequate. Parents are not given detailed information about the nursery education especially the Foundation Stage. They are not encouraged to be involved in their children's learning in meaningful ways and there are inadequate arrangements in place for recording their children's progress.

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Organisation

The organisation is inadequate. The staff organise the play rooms so children can access areas and resources offering different activities. The majority of staff hold an early years qualification and have relevant experience. Most of those not yet qualified are currently undertaking training. There are systems in place with regard to recruitment, however, these are not fully robust. Systems in place with regard to staff shortages are inadequate 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 the group sizes and staff deployment are poor. As a result, the nursery does not contribute to the children’s good health, safety, enjoyment, achievement and ability to make a positive contribution. Leadership and management of the nursery education is inadequate. The management have evaluated the provision of the nursery education and provided support for staff with regard to teaching and learning. However, they fail to monitor the progress the children and staff are making. As a result, the staff's understanding of their roles and responsibilities in developing children's learning is poor. Overall the provision does not meet the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There are no complaints to report. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents which they can see on request. The complaint record may contain complaints other than those 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 inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet 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 inadequate - notice of action to improve. At the time of the inspection there were no children in receipt of nursery education. Ofsted judges that the provider remains suitable to provide nursery education.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care, the registered person must take the following actions: • develop systems to ensure staff observe and record what children do and use observations to plan the next steps for children's play, learning and

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 development; organise resources and activities so children fully benefit from the play opportunities provided • make sure the group sizes regarding the age range of all children are adhered to and staff deployment contribute to children’s good health, safety, enjoyment, achievement and ability to make a positive contribution • ensure the premises are safe and secure • develop an effective and acceptable contingency plan for staff shortages to ensure children are not at risk and make sure appropriate recruitment procedures are in place • ensure a consistent record of all children's attendance including arrival and departure times is maintained, and develop a system for recording staff attendance on a daily basis. These actions are set out in a notice of action to improve and must be completed

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education, the registered person must take the following actions: • provide more opportunities to build on children's knowledge and skills and develop records so they show a clear picture of children's progress through the stepping stones towards the early learning goals • provide parents with good quality information relating to the Foundation Stage and involve them in their children's learning • make sure staff providing nursery education are familiar with the curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage and are able to implement it satisfactorily • improve leadership and management skills to create clear directions leading to improvements in the organisation of nursery education and the outcomes for children. These actions are set out in a notice of action to improve and must be completed by the date specified in the notice. The Department for Education and Skills and the local authority have been informed.

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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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