Heathland School and Nursery

Heathland School and Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Heathland School and Nursery

Unique Reference Number EY287706 Inspection date 22 June 2006 Inspector Cynthia Walker

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Heathland School and Nursery

Setting Address Heathland College, Sandy Lane, Accrington, Lancashire, BB5 2AN Telephone number 01254 234284 E-mail bursar@heathlandcollege.co.uk Registered person Heathland College Ltd Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

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Heathland School and 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 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?

Heathland School and Nursery was registered in 2004 and is privately owned providing full day care for children. The nursery and kindergarten annexes are situated within the grounds of Heathland College in Accrington. The setting is open for 49 weeks of the year and is open from 08.00 until 18.00, Monday to Friday. Currently there are 124 children from nought to under five years on roll. They are drawn from the local area and wider community and children attend

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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 for a variety of sessions. There are 57 children who receive funding for nursery education. The setting supports children with learning difficulties and disabilities. There are two separate buildings providing care which includes the nursery that cares for children from nought to three years with three separate play rooms and the kindergarten which cares for children from three to four years and has two large playrooms. Within each setting there are food preparation areas, toilets, changing facilities and within the nursery unit there are separate sleep areas. Each annexe has a secure outdoor play area and children can access the large school grounds. The main school kitchen is utilised for all meals. There are 23 staff working directly with the children on a full and part-time basis. Of

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

these, 13 hold appropriate early years qualifications and 7 staff are working towards qualifications. The setting receives the support of the local authority. .

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are developing their physical skills through good use of the outdoor areas, access to the soft play area and use of the extensive school grounds. This is supported by a reasonable range of resources which includes climbing and balancing equipment. Children move with control and co-ordination as they run and negotiate space. They confidently control the balls, skilfully kicking them to each other. Younger children enjoy exploring the soft play area, climbing the steps, sliding and crawling through the tunnels. Children are reasonably well nourished and enjoy snacks which include bread sticks and a range of fruit. Some children bring their own packed lunches whilst the others have opportunity to eat the meals from school which are rotated and reflect the policy of 'smile for life'. Although children are given fresh water with snacks and meals they cannot access drinks independently throughout the day. There are suitable systems

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Helping children to be healthy

in place to support children with dietary needs. Good routines have been established around personal care and children are becoming increasingly independent. Children demonstrate a good understanding of personal hygiene as they explain that they wash their hands to wash away the germs. Accident and medication records are suitably recorded and appropriately shared with parents. Children who are not feeling well are sensitively dealt with by staff who implement appropriate procedures and inform the parent.

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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 warm, safe and secure environment where risks are

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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 identified and minimised. Children are learning about keeping safe through clear explanations from staff on how to use the outdoor equipment and regular fire evacuation practices. Staff are ensuring the safety of the younger children whilst not inhibiting their risk taking. The setting is welcoming to children with colourful displays in all areas. The play areas are creatively arranged to allow children to move spontaneously and independently around all areas of play and learning. Children are accessing a sufficient range of resources which are appropriate to their age and stage of development. Resources are effectively arranged to enable most children to make individual decisions about toys they are going to play with. Children are sufficiently protected by designated staff that have an appropriate

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

understanding of child protection procedures. Other staff members have a good awareness of child protection issues, however, are not clear on all the procedures to follow in the absence of designated staff.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their time in nursery and arrive happy and eager to participate. Younger children are making good progress because staff have developed a good understanding of the needs of children under three. Children acquire new knowledge and skills as they join in a wide range of appropriate activities. For example, enthusiastically singing a wide range of songs and confidently participating and joining in all the actions. Children play co-operatively at the farm arranging the animals and others sit in deep concentration mimicking all the animal sounds. The use of toy food and other resources stimulates the children's imagination as they interact with staff having picnics and cooking food in the oven, pretending the food is hot and blowing on it. Staff actively praise children for their achievements and extend children's language by reinforcing the names of animals as they complete an inset

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

jigsaw. Detailed planning is in place which is directly linked to the Birth to three framework and children's observational records are used to inform future planning. Nursery Education. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff have a sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage and plan a suitable range of activities and experiences. Focussed activities are being evaluated but do not include the different levels of challenge to extend and reinforce children's learning. Good use of key worker groups and focussed activities enables children to grapple with new ideas, maintain interest and actively support their learning, however, this is not sustained in all the activities within the daily routine. Staff use effective questioning to extend learning in most areas of learning. Children's starting points are clearly established through information gathered from their previous years at the setting, however, the children's

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

next steps for learning are not being consistently recorded and implemented. Children have a positive attitude to learning and are interested and become involved particularly in the key group and focussed activities. They have good communication

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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 skills and use language to describe and give explanations about their drawings of vehicles and pictures they have painted. Children use their initiative to introduce a game to the sand involving the selection of stones and shells. They ask staff to close their eyes and feel and describe the items which they then extend to other children. Children are able to write their own names and have good pencil control, though writing materials are not introduced into general play. They reinforce their counting skills as they count construction pieces to make models following simple diagrams and select appropriate shapes. However, children do not develop their calculation skills within the daily routine. Children explore colour as they persist for some time painting individual pictures, experimenting with different brushes and making marks

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

with drinking straws. Displays within the play areas and opportunities within general play do not reflect children's individual creativity. All ages of children are developing their hand-eye co-ordination as they skilfully use scissors to cut out shapes, for example, the circles for their hot air balloons. Children have established positive relationships and work co-operatively together at the computer selecting the individual letters for simple words. They show concern for others highlighted when children search and return a loved furry toy to other children. They work harmoniously at activities, such as painting, actively sharing the different resources. Children are very confident and are able to speak clearly to a large group and eagerly sing their favourite songs to the other children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are well behaved and respond to the clear and consistent explanations from staff. They have a good understanding of the behaviour codes of the setting, particularly at group times, such as circle or snack. Younger children are developing self assurance from close and effective relationships with staff. Children are developing a reasonably positive attitude to others through a sufficient range of resources which include dolls, utensils, books and small world figures. Staff work closely with parents to establish children's individual needs which are clearly recorded. The setting have effective systems in place and are actively working with children who have learning difficulties and disabilities. The provision fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development appropriately. Partnership with parents is satisfactory. Parents are actively welcomed into the

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Helping children make a positive contribution

setting and receive useful ongoing information through letters, notice boards and newsletters. Information given to parents about the setting as children begin their care is very brief and does not include information on the Foundation Stage. The setting are not active in ensuring parents are kept well informed about all the relevant policies and procedures. Detailed information on the activities their children are involved in are shared in the regular newsletters and some parents are given ideas how to extend their children's learning. Some key workers use communication books to share the children's progress with parents which is reinforced verbally on a regular basis by all staff. This is supported with bi-annual parent's evenings which gives parents the opportunity to see their children's work and discuss their assessment

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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 records.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Most required documentation which contributes to children's health, safety and well-being is in place. Although there are appropriate suitability procedures in place for the staff team; Ofsted has not been notified of significant changes to the management of the setting, which is a breach of regulations. There are detailed policies and procedures in place which are reflected in daily practice, such as behaviour and the illness procedure. Suitable recruitment systems are in place which includes a rigorous vetting procedure to ensure staff are suitable to work with children. Space within the setting is creatively organised to enhance the play opportunities for children. Leadership and management is satisfactory. Most staff have a clear understanding of their roles, however, the lack of regular staff meetings has some impact on maintaining consistency in improving outcomes for children. An efficient appraisal

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Organisation

system which links to personal development enables staff to attend a variety of short courses to support the care and learning of children. Although focussed activities are clearly evaluated, there are only informal procedures to monitor the overall provision for nursery education to ensure learning is achieved across all areas. The setting liaise closely with advisors from the Local Authority to improve the quality of education for the children they are providing. 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

At the last inspection the setting were given one recommendation in relation to the key worker system. At a subsequent visit they received two actions in relation to child protection procedures. A key worker system is in place throughout the setting which is supporting the children's individual needs. The setting is ensuring children are protected by the review of all child protection procedures which includes any allegations being made against staff. All staff sign to acknowledge they have read these procedures and senior staff maintain sufficient awareness of how to implement these. However, some staff are still unclear of some of the procedures to follow and this will be raised as a recommendation at this inspection.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since last inspection concerns were raised following an alleged incident in relation to National Standard 13, Child Protection. Ofsted investigated this concern by carrying

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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 out a visit. An action was raised and 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 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 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): • ensure fresh drinking water is available to children at all times • ensure all staff are able to implement the child protection policies and procedures in the absence of the designated member of staff • review the information given to parents about the setting and ensure details of policies and procedures are available • ensure Ofsted is informed of any significant changes to the management of the setting.

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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): • review and evaluate the overall planned programme to ensure there is a broad range of activities which supports all areas of learning and includes challenges for different abilities • provide an environment that includes a variety of resources and activities which increases opportunities for children to use their individual creative skills. • improve communication within the staff team to maintain consistency in practice which enables children to achieve.

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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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