Highview Kindergarten Ltd

Highview Kindergarten

Inspection report for early years provision

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Highview Kindergarten

Unique Reference Number EY230831 Inspection date 12 December 2005 Inspector Christine Fraser Turner

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Highview Kindergarten

Setting Address Off Belmont Road, Sharples, Bolton, Lancashire, BL1 7DZ

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E-mail

Registered person Highview Kindergarten Limited 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?

Highview Kindergarten is owned by Highview Kindergarten Limited. The nursery opened in 1987 and was formerly known as Highview Nursery. It has been owned by Highview Kindergarten since autumn 2002. It operates from the whole of the ground floor of the premises. It is situated in the Sharples area of Bolton. A maximum of 56 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each week day from 07.30 until 18.00 for 51 weeks every year, excluding Bank holidays. All children

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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 share access to an enclosed play area, including grassed and paved areas. There are currently 52 children from 0 to under 5-years-old on roll. Of these 10 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from a wide catchment area. There are no children with specials needs or children who speak English as an additional language attending the nursery at this time. The nursery employs a total of 16 staff including a cook and a cleaner. There are 12 members of staff with relevant child care qualifications, including the manager and office manager. Two members of staff are currently working towards a relevant child care qualification.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children stay healthy because staff follow current and appropriate environmental health and hygiene policies and procedures. Children learn about good hygiene routines from an early age. Older children understand the importance of hand washing in keeping healthy. Children take good care of their teeth through daily cleaning, while older children are able to say why it is important. Children are very well nourished through the provision of healthy, well balanced meals cooked on the premises. Individual dietary needs are met well through effective information gathering from parents. Children confidently make their own choices as they serve themselves at mealtimes; they also independently select fruit at teatime. Children enjoy regular drinks throughout the day. Children sleep and rest according to their individual needs following daily discussion with parents. They enjoy physical activity on a daily basis. For example, the children enjoy taking

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Helping children to be healthy

part in well-planned exercise programmes; moving freely to music and stop like statues. Children learn to develop a good range of skills as they use a good range of equipment. These include climbing, riding bikes, pushing and pulling toys, as well as throwing balls, catching balls and rolling hoops.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a very welcoming, clean, secure, safe indoor and outdoor environment. The temperature in the baby room is well monitored, but there are no systems in place in other rooms. There are many examples of children's art work on the wall. Information is readily available for parents, in the form of policies, procedures and photograph albums. There is good organisation of well maintained, suitable toys and equipment for the children. This means they can move around

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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 safely and freely. Children are able to independently access the resources that are available. Effective risk assessments ensure that children's safety is given a high priority. However, a new method of labelling babies' dummies has not been risk assessed. Children learn to keep themselves safe. They learn about road safety through books and discussion as they enjoy outings in the local community. For example, they visited a local school to watch a nativity. Children are well protected because staff have a good understanding of their role in child protection and are able to put the procedures into practice when necessary.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy and settled in nursery. They are confident to make their own choices for play. For example, as they paint on the easel or decide to make a collage picture. Children play happily alongside each other as they wrap presents in 'Santa’s Grotto'. They benefit from staff's secure knowledge on Birth to three matters. Young children enjoy many sensory experiences. For example, they explore paint and water during creativity tasks. Children are learning to acquire new skills, such as, putting their coats on for outdoor play or spreading butter on their toast. Children respond well to new challenges planned by staff. They are learning to find a voice as they enjoy daily opportunities for taking part in singing songs like 'Old McDonald Had A Farm'. Younger children are beginning to make connections as they look at books, confidently naming objects. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children benefit from staff's good

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

knowledge of the curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage. Staff use their knowledge to create a well planned learning environment and implement a programme of interesting activities for children. Learning is enhanced through plans that are effectively monitored, so that all areas of learning are covered over a period of time. Staff use a wide variety of assessment and have a clear picture of children’s progress. However, the staff do not use this information to plan for children’s next steps in learning. Focus activity plans lack detail to inform teaching and do not include ways of challenging more able children. Staff evaluate activities and implement identified changes to improve the teaching. Children receive good support from staff that have a good understanding of how continuous provision supports children’s learning. Well chosen, good quality resources support children's learning in all areas. Children make good relationships with each other and staff. Children learn

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

about numbers as part of every day activities, such as, when singing number songs. Older children are able to count confidently; some of which can count up to twenty. They benefit from many worthwhile experiences for mark-making. Children are beginning to write their names on their own work. The children show good interest in books and often chose to tell stories from large books to an imaginary audience.

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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

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are treated with equal concern. They receive good quality, individual care through effective settling in procedures and good daily interaction with staff, parents and carers. Children behave well and are supported by the staff's consistent approach to positive behaviour management. They are learning to play and co-operate as they play together. One example of this was when the children were in 'Santa's Grotto'. They are able to make their own choices and decisions, such as, contributing to changes in the role play area. The children make their own choices from ongoing provision. Children are learning to become independent, and can serve out their own lunch. They are becoming increasingly aware of the wider world; taking part in worthwhile visits in the local community and learning about other people's cultures. The partnership with parents and carers is good. They receive good quality

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Helping children make a positive contribution

information on the setting and are kept well informed of current events through newsletters. 'Home link' sheets help parents to work with their child at home. Parents are well informed about the Foundation Stage and discussion with parents show they know what their child is learning in nursery. Staff keep parents well informed on their child's achievements through both formal and informal communication. The complaints procedure for parents has been reviewed in line with changes in Children Act Regulations, but the records are not available in summary form; enabling them to be shared with parents on request. Children's spiritual moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are cared for by people who are deemed to be suitable. The effective organisation of space and resources contributes to the nursery meeting children's individual needs well. The adult: child ratios positively support children’s care learning and play. The organisation of hand washing at lunchtime needs to be improved. Children benefit from the care of their key worker for the main part of the day, such as, when babies are fed and changed by their key worker. Policies and procedures work in practice to promote children's health, safety enjoyment, achievement and ability to make a positive contribution. The leadership and management of the nursery is good. Children's progress towards the early learning goals is carefully monitored. Staff benefit from the settings good induction procedures and effective, ongoing staff development. Training is given a high priority and used successfully to improve practice within the setting. For

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Organisation

example, using Birth to three matters to successfully improve the outcomes for children under three. Clearly identified roles and responsibilities help staff support children well.

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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 provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the provider agreed to improve seating for staff when feeding babies, ensure the shed containing outdoor equipment is inaccessible to children and review menus to include more fresh vegetables. A low chair for staff has been provided to enable them to hold babies comfortably when babies are being bottle fed. The shed is now closed when children are using the outdoor play area and the new shed has been identified as needing attention to enable it to be closed. However, close supervision ensures it is inaccessible to children. Children benefit from the introduction of new menus, which clearly identify the range of vegetables and fruit that children are offered on a daily basis to promote healthy eating.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since April 2004. 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 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 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): • review current system in place for identifying children's comforters • review the current daily routine for children using the bathroom before and after lunch to prevent children lining up for their turn • review current method of recording complaints to ensure confidentiality is maintained.

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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

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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): • ensure plans for focus activities includes sufficient detail to inform teaching and shows differentiation in planning to extend learning for more able children • use observations to plan for individual children's next steps for learning and use to inform planning.

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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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