ABC Day Nursery

ABC Day Nursery (Lincs) Ltd

Inspection report for early years provision

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ABC Day Nursery (Lincs) Ltd

Unique Reference Number EY274214 Inspection date 15 May 2006 Inspector Parveen Ashraf

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ABC Day Nursery (Lincs) Ltd

Setting Address 43 Main Ridge, Boston, Lincolnshire, PE21 6ST

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E-mail

Registered person ABC Day Nusery (Lincs) 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 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

ABC Day Nursery is a privately owned provision which opened in 2003. The nursery operates from a converted domestic premises close to Boston town centre. Accommodation is on two levels. There is an enclosed outside play area sited to the rear of the building. There are currently 53 children from birth to eight years on roll, of these, 26 children receive funding for nursery education. The setting supports children with learning disabilities and English as a second language.

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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 nursery is open on a daily basis from 07:30 to 18:00. The nursery employs 13 members of staff, of these 12 hold an appropriate early years qualification.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's health is well promoted through staff’s awareness of good hygiene practises. Staff encourage children to follow good routines, such as hand washing before eating and after visiting the toilet. Pictorial reminders around the nursery are useful prompts to encourage children to wash their hands consistently. Effective health and hygiene procedures are in place for babies. Their bedding, bottles and soothers are appropriately stored. Good nappy changing procedures help to minimise the risk of cross infection and spread of germs. Medication and accident details are recorded accurately and confidentially. Well organised and up-to-date documentation helps children to remain healthy. Children are offered a wide variety of well-balanced and nutritious meals and snacks. These are freshly prepared daily and contain a good range of all food groups. Much thought is given to the needs of children with religious or dietary requirements. For

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Helping children to be healthy

example, Quorn is used as a meat substitute helping children to feel included at meal times. Food for babies and toddlers is blended to the required consistency promoting their growth and development. Baby’s independence is encouraged as they learn to feed themselves using spoons or their hands. However, there are missed opportunities for pre-school children to develop their independence as they do not help to prepare or serve themselves during lunch and snack times. Children participate in activities that encourage their physical development. For example, playing with the parachute or learning how to jump and land safely on two feet. Children play in the enclosed play area but this is limited and they do not have the freedom of free-flow between indoor and outdoor play. As a result, they sometimes become restless as they are not provided with sufficient opportunities to positively channel their physical energy.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a safe and secure environment, where hazards are identified and procedures are in place to minimize these. Staff carry out regular risk assessments that includes indoors and outdoors. Children learn to take responsibility for their own safety with good reinforcement of the rules from staff. For example, they ask children to keep themselves safe when the main doors are opened. The fire drill is practised on different days enabling all children to have the opportunity to learn what to do in an emergency situation, helping to keep them safe. Children have access to an adequate range of resources that are suitable for their age. For example, toys for babies are bright and colourful and meet safety standards.

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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 Toddlers help themselves to toys from low-level shelving and units, encouraging their independence. However, resources in the pre-school are laid out unimaginatively and do not inspire children to self-select. Strategies are in place to safeguard children's welfare. Unauthorised persons are unable to enter the premises unsupervised as the main door is always kept locked. A record of all visitors is kept within the visitor’s book and children are kept safe from persons that are not vetted. Several members of staff have completed child protection training. They are aware of the local child protection procedures. This helps to keep children safe and protect them from harm.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children are happy, confident and enjoy their time at the nursery. Babies develop a close bond with staff who are affectionate. For example, a staff member sooths and cuddles a baby trying to get her to sleep. Staff are developing an understanding of how to help children progress using the 'Birth to three matters' framework. They provide an appropriate range of activities that promote children's development. For example, babies show curiosity as they take part in messy play with beans and cornflakes. They delight in the feel of paint on their bodies during a body painting activity. Toddlers have the opportunity to interact with pre-school children, which helps them to transfer with ease when they move rooms. However, some key activities for toddlers do not always achieve the desired outcome. Some sessions are uninspiring and children's choice is limited when selecting what activity they want to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

take part in. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff are involved with children throughout the session and have a good rapport with them. Most of the staff have an understanding of how to help children progress through the stepping stones. However, there is too much emphasis given to structured teaching methods and less on children learning through play. Consequently, children do not have sufficient opportunities to develop their learning through free-play activities as play is regularly interrupted though the need to tidy-up for snack time. Long and medium term plans are detailed and cover all six areas of learning. Plans clearly identify the learning intention, adult role and how the activity is to be adapted to meet the needs of the children. However, in practice, activities are not always

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

successfully adapted and some children lose interest. Staff carry out detailed observations on children’s progress. These are recorded in their individual folders and are used for future planning. Daily activities are evaluated in order to monitor their effectiveness and children's achievements. Children are very confident speakers and initiate conversations with adults and each other. They do not hesitate to ask probing questions or engage in a healthy one-to-one discussion with adults. They enjoy stories and rhymes and staff take this

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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 opportunity to teach them new vocabulary, such as learning what an author or an illustrator is. Children are encouraged to be independent by pouring their own drinks during snack time. However, opportunities for further developing these skills further are missed as children are not encouraged to prepare their own snack times. Children count consecutively up to and beyond 10. They are learning to grasp the concept of basic addition and subtraction. Older children have an understanding of 3D shapes. They recognise, sort and match and are beginning to use some positional language. Children show a healthy interest in books. They have access to a wide range and enjoy choosing from a mobile library that visits the nursery. Children are linking sounds and letters and are beginning to recognise and write their own names.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

However, there is insufficient use of name cards and labelling in the pre-school room which limits children's learning in this area. Their ability to recognise letters is not developed through play and teaching methods are adult led and not fun or interesting for children. The mark making area is uninspiring and is not regularly visited by children. Subsequently, children are not developing their independence when selecting resources to ascribe meaning to marks. Children explore their natural environment through planned activities, such as planting seeds in compost. Children's creative skills are encouraged through planned activities. They are able to engage in junk modelling and kneading dough to make heart shaped jam tarts for Valentine's Day. However, they do not have regular free access to messy or role play. They have a computer available to foster their interest in technology and develop their hand and eye co-ordination when using a mouse.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are very well behaved and demonstrate good manners. They say 'please' and 'thank you' at appropriate times. Staff are consistent in their approach to behaviour management and are confident at managing children’s behaviour. They frequently praise children for their efforts which intern helps to build children's confidence and raise their self-esteem. Children take part in discussions and activities that help them learn about managing their own behaviour appropriately. For example, looking after and being nice to Carlos the puppet, and making their own ‘Well done’ stickers. The provision fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Children learn about the wider world through planned activities and resources including a welcome poster in different languages and puzzles that represent people from diverse backgrounds. Children with learning disabilities are fully included

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Helping children make a positive contribution

through adult support. Staff work closely with parents and the local agencies. This helps children progress at their own pace, giving them confidence to learn. The partnership with parents and carers is good. Staff work well with parents to support the children, by welcoming them into the nursery and valuing their contribution. They keep parents fully informed in a number of ways including; sharing records, informal discussions and open days. Parents are provided with a detailed

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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 information about the nursery and the curriculum it provides. A strong partnership with parents contributes to the children’s well-being.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The nursery is warm and welcoming. Staff work efficiently as a team and are well deployed throughout the nursery. This creates an environment where children are happy and secure. Regular team and planning meetings help to ensure that all staff have an opportunity to contribute their ideas. Most of the rooms are well-organised and divided into various play areas, such as a home corner, messy play and book area. However, the organisation of the pre-school room is less effective. Sessions limit children’s independence and ability to make their own decisions about where they want to play and what they want to play with. Snack and meals times are not used to their full potential as children often wait to be served and become restless in the process. The quality of leadership and management is good. The manager and deputy are both new to their posts and work effectively together. They both demonstrate a clear

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Organisation

focus on the personal development and achievements of all the children. Through hard work and dedication they have made major improvements that have made a positive impact on the care and learning of the children. The manager is proactive in supporting her staff to improve their skills. She organises relevant continuous training. As a result, staff are gaining the confidence they need to effectively deliver the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage and ‘Birth to three matters’ framework. An appraisal system is in place but not currently being implemented. Consequently, the manager cannot formally identify areas of development for staff that would further improve outcomes for children. Regulatory documentation is well organised, kept up-to-date and stored confidentially. The manager has devised a comprehensive well written policies and procedures which are successfully implemented to promote the welfare, care and

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Organisation

learning of the children. These are regularly reviewed to ensure that they continue to meet current legislation. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Care At the previous inspection for care this provider was given five recommendations. Four of these were related to behaviour management. All four recommendations have been fully met. The manger attended a behaviour management course and disseminated the information to staff. The behaviour management policy has been amended and is successfully implemented by all staff. The manager is the named person in charge for behaviour management issues. Staff now manage children’s behaviour very well and children's behaviour has improved considerably. The fifth recommendation was to ensure children's individual needs are met through the

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Improvements 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 planned activities and daily routines which are appropriate for their age and stage of development. Many of the staff have completed training in the 'Birth to three matters' framework and implement it to meet children’s developmental needs. Activities are now planned to meet children's age and stage of development. However, some of the focus activities do not always work in practise but this being addressed through regular monitoring. Nursery Education The outcome of the last inspection for nursery education was judged as inadequate. Three actions were identified. The nursery has made significant improvements since the last inspection. There is now a new manager and deputy manager in post. Both members of staff have worked closely with an advisor to address all the actions. The

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Improvements since the last inspection

manager organised in-house training for the curriculum for the Foundation Stage which staff attended. The nursery now offers children a balanced range of activities that cover all six areas of learning. Subsequently, children are now making steady progress towards the early learning goals. Focused activities have clearly identified learning objectives, which staff are aware of. Many of the staff promote children's learning through the use of open ended questioning. However, this is not consistent throughout the nursery. The manager is aware that staff need further support in this area and will provide this through regular monitoring and the appraisal system. Detailed observations and assessments and now used to inform future planning ensuring that children of all abilities are supported and challenged. The nursery worked with the curriculum advisor from the Early Years Development and childcare partnership who has delivered in-house training to help staff develop their

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Improvements since the last inspection

understanding of assessments and observations.

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Complaints since the last inspection

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. There has been one complaint made to Ofsted since the last inspection. Concerns were raised relating to Standards 2, 3 and 13. These relate to organisation, care and child protection. A visit was conducted on 23 August 2005 and 3 recommendations were made. These were to develop staff's awareness and understanding of effective ways to manage children's behaviour, taking into account their age and stage of development, ensure that there is a named staff member detailed in the policy who is responsible for behaviour management issues and ensure staff understand that physical intervention may only be used to prevent personal injury to the child, other children, an adult or serious damage to property. The provider remains qualified for registration.

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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

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 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 satisfactory.

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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): • improve the organisation of the pre-school. Provide a variety of good quality resources to inspire children to access activities such as messy, creative and role play, independently • review organisation of meals and snack time allowing children more opportunities to develop their independence and have uninterrupted time to extend and develop their play

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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): • further improve opportunities for children to purposeful play both indoors and outdoors • further extend opportunities for children to recognise that print has meaning, this refers to the mark making area • implement the use of a formal appraisal system to further develop staff's practical knowledge of how to deliver the Curriculum guidance for the foundations stage and 'Birth to three matters' framework.

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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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