St Anne's Roman Catholic High School, Stockport

Jays Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Jays Day Nursery

Unique Reference Number 106144 Inspection date 30 November 2005 Inspector Sara Jane Frost

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Jays Day Nursery

Setting Address Children's Centre, Moorhaven Village, Ivybridge, Devon, PL21 0EX Telephone number 01752 894437

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E-mail

Registered person Jacqueline Aldridge 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 satisfactory. 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?

The Jays Day Care Nursery School is a privately owned nursery situated in rural surroundings in Moorhaven Village on the edge of the town of Ivybridge, Devon. It opened in 1995 and operates from 4 rooms. The children are divided into 3 groups; baby room, up to 18 months; toddler room; 18 months to 3 years and pre-school room: three years to school entry. A maximum of 47 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 08.00 to 18.00 throughout

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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 the year, except for bank holidays. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 72 children on roll aged from babies to 5 years. Of these 21 children receive funding for nursery education. There are 17 staff members who work directly with the children, 11 of whom are qualified. A holiday club operates during school holidays from 08.00 to 18.00 for children aged between 4 years and 11 years.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children learn the importance of hand washing through daily routines. The staff in the baby room have good procedures for changing nappies; for example staff consistently wear disposable gloves and aprons. However children in the toddler and pre-school rooms are at risk of contamination as they use a communal hand washing bowl and towel. Although the recording of accidents is thorough, items past their expiry date are kept in the first aid box. Children benefit from a healthy diet. They enjoy varied nutritious meals and snacks. The older children are given the opportunity to experience different styles of snack for example morning snack time is a group time experience, whereas in the afternoon it is the 'café style'. The latter approach gives children the choice of when they want to eat and drink. Babies are fed according to their parents wishes. Aspects around meal times do not allow children to be independent nor are consistent throughout the

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Helping children to be healthy

nursery. For example, older children are not given the opportunity to pour out their chosen drink of milk, but at times can pour out drinking water. In the babies room toast is not placed on plates. Meals are not presented in an enticing way nor do they encourage and develop further self help skills. For example, providing the opportunity for children to serve their own food. Children enjoy daily opportunities for fresh air and exercise as they run around in the outdoor play area or for example exercise to the 'sticky kids' tape indoors. The older children are able to independently choose to go outside to play, planning ensures all children get to experience some fresh air and physical exercise during the day. All babies are able to rest and be active according to their needs. However children in the toddler room have a more structured time for rest after lunch, those who do not want to sleep are taken into the larger room with the older children to play.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Practitioners help keep children safe in the nursery. Fire procedures are conducted regularly and the purchase of a baby trolley enables a quick effective evacuation particularly in the baby room. Staff explain safe practices to children, for example during snack time why it is not safe to put a knife in your mouth, or to be careful not

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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 to throw the sand as it hurts if it gets in your eyes. Good security systems, ensure that persons cannot enter the building without staff being aware, with the additional use of security camera for areas not easily visible. However, keys left in the patio doors in the toddler's room compromises safety. Risk assessments are not used to identify potential areas of risk to the children's safety both inside and outside of the nursery. For example the loose cord hanging from the toilet curtains, the opening of the stable door and the hole in the wooden floor boards of the outside play house Children use a sufficient range of safe good quality age appropriate resources. These are well organised at child height to encourage independent access. Children are well protected as the person responsible for child protection ensures

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

procedures are up to date and staff understand their responsibilities.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Babies receive lots of cuddles and have developed a good bond with their key workers. They benefit from routines which are consistent with their experiences at home until they reach eighteen months. Babies develop early communication skills as they attract the attention of staff who respond to their sounds during play. Staff are happy to use baby sign to encourage children to communicate. Children aged between the ages of eighteen months and two and a half years are confident in their relationship with staff. Practitioners have started to use the birth to three matters framework to help improve children's achievements. Children clearly enjoy the tactile experience of painting with their hands. Nursery education The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children make good progress because the practitioner has a secure knowledge of the foundation stage and how children learn. They plan a varied and balanced range of activities that covers all six areas of

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

learning. Staff are confident enough to alter planning to adapt to the here and now. For example when children experienced snow at the nursery, they were encouraged to write their names in the snow using different forms of writing tools, develop their language skills by describing 'snowballs' as 'sludgy, soft, slippery, cold and icy' and understanding the concept of changes such as 'what happens to snow when it melts'. Detailed planning for focussed activities ensures clear learning intentions. Suitable assessment records show children's achievements although they do not show planning for the next steps in each child's learning. The practitioner is devising a system to show achievable targets for children and to develop the planning around the child. The room at times is untidy, incomplete borders makes the displays of children's work unattractive to the eye and distracts from the good work going on within the

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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 room. The classroom can at times be noisy which is not conducive to children's learning, for example rising noise levels of staff and children made it difficult for the children to hear the computer programmes instructions. Children's independence is promoted well. The introduction of the choosing board gives children the opportunity to select resources either indoors or outside. Children know they need to wear warm clothing when playing outside, and most are able to put on their outdoor clothing with little or no help at all. They understand the daily routines well. Music is used to tidy up after lunch, however the choice of music encourages children to hurry and put toys away in a rush, creating more chaos in the classroom area, for example, books are all shoved on shelf.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy listening to stories and rhymes. They have many opportunities to develop their writing skills, through play. They enthusiastically join in with singing and action songs. Their experience in playing musical instruments, listening to different types of music, and other learning opportunities for example maths is extended further by the popular weekly visit of 'the music man'. Children learn about technology as they use the computer independently and with confidence. Many children use the mouse and can complete simple programmes. Children have opportunities to develop their physical skills such as running around outside and joining in with the 'sticky kids' music tapes. They are developing good hand-eye co ordination skills as they hold crayons, use scissors and manipulate play dough.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children benefit from being cared for by consistent staff who show an awareness of children's individual needs. Staff discuss home routines with parents. When planning to meet the needs of babies, they adhere to sleep patterns and feeding around home routines. Staff ensure new children settle and feel confident at the setting for example, staff allowed a child to keep her coat on until they felt secure enough to remove it for themselves and join in the painting activity. Staff encourage children to care and to respect one another, for example, a member of staff asked a child if he would take another child into classroom and show him the choosing board, the child held out his hand eager to help. Older children have opportunities to learn about diversity through planned activities and celebrations of different cultural festivals within the curriculum. Sign language is used during the singing of some songs. Some

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Helping children make a positive contribution

staff have accessed training in sign and baby sign and hope to incorporate it more throughout the day. Children learn about the natural world as they talk about the weather, the seasons and learn about animals through visits to local farm. Children are actively encouraged to be independent and they put on their coats, shoes and move around the setting with confidence. They behave well and respond appropriately to the expectations of staff, who are consistent in their approach.

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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 Children are learning about manners and turn taking. Children are encouraged to tidy up. The use of music draws children's attention to tidy up time after lunch. They use their own labelled trays to put away their work. Staff liaise well with parents when they have concerns about children at the setting. Overall the nursery fosters children's spiritual, moral ,social and cultural development. Partnership with parents is good. New parents and children are made to feel welcome, good communication is given with regards to how their child has settled and activities they had accessed during their stay. For example, a child new to the setting was very content and happy in his new environment. Parents of babies receive daily sheets where relevant information on feeds and sleeps are recorded,

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Helping children make a positive contribution

this is also complemented by verbal feedback. Younger children's parents receive verbal information, with plans of the days activities being posted on the door to the room. There is only one system in place for parents to share information about what their child knows and can do and this is on entry to the baby room of the setting. Children's records go with them from one room to another, however there is no system in place for older child commencing at the nursery. As result this information is not available to provide a starting point to plan and monitor children's progress when they begin nursery education

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children benefit from being cared for in a suitably organised setting where the roles and responsibilities of staff have been defined. However some staff still need to access training in their defined role. Over half of the staff are suitably qualified with others currently on training programmes. Additional staff are employed to cook the lunch time meals and to keep the building clean. Staff deployment is effective, enabling older children to choose when to play outside as opposed to having to all go out together. Children are happy and content at the setting. Staff are encouraged to develop their own planning and have recently introduced birth to three matters framework room with good support from the manager. All documentation was available at inspection. Records are removed to the main office at the end of the day to maintain confidentiality. The leadership and management of the nursery education is good. Staff have

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Organisation

attended foundation stage training and are involved in planning for the curriculum to help children develop in all areas. They are clearly aware of the learning intentions for the activities. Appraisals are used to monitor staff development. Assessment records are updated by the key workers who monitor children's achievements and development, although assessment records do not include plans for next steps in children's learning. The setting meets the need of the range of children for whom they provide.

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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

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Improvements since the last inspection

The last care inspection recommended that the nursery should improve the information shared with parents and other workers to maintain consistency and continuity of care, to develop staff's knowledge and understanding of the role of the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) and to maintain written consent for seeking emergency medical advice and treatment. At the last education inspection staff were asked to become more skilled in implementing written plans and capitalise on naturally arising opportunities, to support children's learning, to look at organisation of the sessions and to increase parental access to ongoing feedback about their child's educational progress. The nursery has made significant improvements in developing ways of communication with parents. The use of daily sheets in the baby and toddlers rooms ensures parents have an awareness of their child's day. The development of key

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Improvements since the last inspection

workers and consistency of staff in each of the rooms ensures children receive continuity of care. Parents have the opportunity to discuss their child's progress with key workers on a regular basis. The nursery has implemented various strategies within the classroom setting allowing children a degree of choice, plus opportunities for children to be divided into small groups to support children's learning. The implementation of planning, and developing the staff's knowledge in this area, ensures staff are fully aware of the learning intention identified and are able to develop a stage further.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection Ofsted has received three complaints. The first related to National Standard 11: Behaviour management and National standard 12: working in partnership with parents and carers. Ofsted conducted an unannounced visit on 03/03/2005. As a result of that visit following actions were set; Standard 2 (Organisation)‘Organise staffing to meet the children’s needs effectively and ensure staff training and qualifications are met’ Standard 10 (Special needs) ‘Ensure the registered person is pro-active in ensuring appropriate action is being taken to promote the welfare and development of any child with special needs in the nursery.’ Standard 11 (Behaviour management) ‘Ensure staff are able to manage a wide range of children’s behaviour in a way that promotes their welfare and development, and all staff fully understand and follow the statement on behaviour management’. Ofsted made the following recommendation to improve practice in relation to

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Complaints since the last inspection

Standard 12 (working in partnership with parents and carers) ‘Ensure information is shared in particular, parents have access to all written records about their children'. Ofsted reviewed the steps taken by the registered person. No further action was required. The provider remains qualified for registration .

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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 The second complaint related to National Standard 1; Suitable person and National Standard 2 Organisation. Ofsted visited on the 24/08/2005. A number of recommendations were raised to address; the lack of a staff complaints procedure, and the further development of the operational plan to consider staff training, including their ability to work together as a team. The provider remains qualified for registration. The final complaint related to National Standard 12; Working with parents and carers. Ofsted asked the provider to investigate the concerns raised in October 2005. Ofsted found that there was no evidence that the National Standard 12, was not being met. The provider remains qualified for registration. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they

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Complaints since the last inspection

can see on request. The complaints 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 satisfactory. 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): • ensure good health is promoted by providing suitable hand washing and drying facilities and all items in the first aid box are regularly checked and replenished • further develop children's independence particularly at meal times • conduct regular risk assessments both inside and outside to areas accessible by children

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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): • develop systems to ensure that information is gained from parents about what their child knows and can do on entering the setting and continue to develop the system to show how children will progress to the next stage of learning.

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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 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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