Southlands Creche

Southlands Creche

Inspection report for early years provision

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Southlands Creche

Unique Reference Number 218489 Inspection date 05 October 2005 Inspector John Vernon

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Southlands Creche

Setting Address St. Margarets C of E Junior School, Knutton Road, Newcastle, Staffordshire, ST5 0HU Telephone number 01782 714465 ( and 714765 or 626148)

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E-mail

Registered person Southlands Nurseries Ltd Type of inspection Childcare 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

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

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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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Southlands Crèche opened in 1991 and operates from four rooms within the old school house building in the grounds of St Margaret's School, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme. The Crèche opens five days a week all year round and sessions are from 07:50am to 17:45pm. The provision is registered to care for twenty four children under the age of eight at any one time. There are currently twenty two children on roll. Children attend for a

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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 variety of sessions and the setting supports a number of children with special needs.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. Children stay healthy and benefit from first rate opportunities to learn about good personal hygiene during daily routines, such as washing hands after visiting the toilet, before snack and after messy play and through play based activities as a result of the staff’s exemplary practice, awareness and experience. Children are given the opportunity to enjoy a varied range of stimulating and exciting physical play challenges as the staff take opportunities to extend the children’s experiences beyond the everyday with trips to the swimming baths and local activity centre. As a consequence, children develop self confidence and a positive, robust attitude to keeping active. Children have excellent opportunities to learn about healthy eating. They are involved in activities which alert them to the benefits of a healthy diet. Staff are proactive in seeking out additional advice and information about healthy eating and prepare

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Helping children to be healthy

menus, including vegetarian options, in advance. These are shared with parents. As a result, children enjoy the benefits of a well balanced and nourishing diet, as staff have an excellent understanding of nutrition and the dietary needs of the children in their care.

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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 clean, well maintained environment. They are able to freely and confidently move around the space in which they play. Their welfare is enhanced by the staff’s high regard for safety both within the setting and when out and about on trips. Staff have undertaken additional training and sought advice about how to enhance children’s well-being. Further to this, the owner has installed a good range of safety measures to ensure that the safety of the children remains paramount. Children develop a good awareness of personal safety by having the opportunity to practise fire drills and by being encouraged to pick up toys from the floor to prevent accidents. They know that they must line-up and hold hands when away from the setting on trips. Children have free flow access to the indoor and outdoor spaces, which provide contrasting and stimulating opportunities for rest and play. This enables the children

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

to rest and relax according to their needs and to assert some independence over how they spend their time. There is a suitable and appropriate range of furniture for the children to ensure that all needs are met.

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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 Children are safe and protected from harm as all staff have undertaken additional training and consequently have a secure understanding and knowledge of child protection issues and procedures to ensure that the children in their care stay safe.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Staff have a very good understanding of the importance of development through play and children have access to a stimulating outdoor play environment. They benefit from good opportunities to develop physical skills and so their physical needs are well met. They have opportunities to grow and develop in confidence as they master large equipment, such as swings and slides. Through out the week, children have the opportunity to engage in a variety of activities to enable them to develop in all areas. There is an effective key worker system in place and children’s progress and development is monitored regularly and conveyed to parents via the use of ‘Toddler Tattler’ forms. These forms, coupled with regular discussions between parents and staff, enable all concerned to keep abreast of what children can do and the challenges that they encounter. In turn, this information allows staff to accurately provide for the individual learning needs of all

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

children ensuring that each child’s needs are met. Children feel secure and benefit from warm and friendly interactions with adults, for example during story time. This enables them to feel valued and cherished.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children’s individual welfare is effectively provided for as staff are rigorous in working along side parents to obtain and share a beneficial range of information about the children. This, in turn, encourages a positive exchange of information to ensure that all children are cared for inline with parental wishes. Children play well together and follow clear boundaries established by staff. Children grow in self-esteem as adults endorse good behaviour and use sensitive praise and encouragement to make children feel good about their achievements. Children have access to toys and resources that enable them to gain some understanding of the wider world. However, staff do not plan activities to enable the children to develop their understanding of the wider world. The needs of individual children are met as staff have a good knowledge of the care needs of children with special needs. This ensures that all children are cared for

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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 organisation is outstanding. Children experience very good levels of support and supervision to enable them to feel secure. They benefit from clear and effective policies and procedures which are put into practice by staff. There are very good systems in place to ensure that records and information is regularly up-dated and shared with parents to ensure continuity of care for children. Children are kept safe as there are good arrangements in place to protect children from people who have not been vetted. They profit from staff’s commitment to constantly access training in order to develop and improve their practice. The provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The provision was asked to devise and implement a system to record any incident of physical restraint. The provision has devise and implement a system to record any incident of physical restraint.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • further develop children's understanding of the wider world

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The quality and standards of the care

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 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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