The Purbeck School

Hampstead Activity Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Hampstead Activity Nursery

Unique Reference Number 148737 Inspection date 19 December 2005 Inspector Malini Parmar / Maggie Thorp

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Hampstead Activity Nursery

Setting Address Christ Church, Hampstead Square, London, NW3 1AB

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E-mail

Registered person Mr C & Mrs J Barnard 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?

Hampstead Activity Nursery was registered in 2000. The Nursery operates in a converted part of a church. It is virtually self contained and comprises of three rooms with access to a further space in the main body of the church. A large secured patio area surrounding the church provides children with opportunities for outdoor play. The Nursery serves the local community.

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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 opens five days a week during term time. Sessions are from 08:00 to 12.15, or 13:30 to 18:00, or from 08:00 to 18:00. Children attend full or part time sessions. A maximum of 33 children under 5 years may attend at any one time. There are currently 50 on roll, of whom 9 receive nursery education funding. The nursery supports children who speak English as an additional language as well as children with special educational needs. Overall there are eight members of staff including the manager. The Nursery receives support from the Early Years Development Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are kept healthy through being cared for in a clean environment with some good measures in place to prevent the spread of infection. A high standard of hygiene is maintained in the kitchen and toilets. Children's health is fostered by staff's knowledge of first aid and how to administer medicines safely. There is a good percentage of staff with current first aid certificates. Careful records are kept of accidents and parents are kept well informed. Children are well nourished by the vegetarian meals prepared on the premises. Children's dietary needs are noted and respected and there are ample portions for each child. However, staff do not sit with the children in small groups and serve food from the table. This would make mealtimes rich social occasions and would maximise opportunities for children's independence to be fostered. Children have some opportunities for exercise each day. They have a timetabled slot

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Helping children to be healthy

for each group to use the garden. However, outdoor play resources are limited to wheeled toys unless the weather is good. The 2 year olds have good opportunities for vigorous play indoors but 1 year olds have less space for this kind of play. Older children clearly enjoy running and jumping in the outdoor area as they dive in and out of the "parachute". They learn to co-ordinate their movements as they chase one another around the garden whilst playing games. However, all children have few opportunities to climb. Chances for older children to develop a sense of space are hampered by the lack of organisation and planning of outdoor areas. As a result, children sometimes collide into one another in their cars.

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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 bright, welcoming environment. However, play space for the 1 to 2 year olds is limited and an appropriate temperature is not always maintained in the children's rooms. They have adequate, safe, space for outdoor play This includes an area of safety surface. Children's comfort is provided for effectively by the furniture and equipment in place. Children eat at low tables and chairs, they lie on tummies to play on the carpeted areas or sit on cushions with books. They have

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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 their own mattresses and bedding for rests. Children play with a wide variety of play resources that are in good condition and encourage their development and learning effectively. They enjoy using the good range of pretend play resources. The home corner for 2 to 3 year olds has nice details, such as an ironing board and iron and children busily iron the doll's clothes. They act out stories with the puppet theatre and puppets and make imaginary worlds with the train set and little zoo animals. However, toys are set out by staff. As a result, children's independence is not fostered by the limited opportunities they have to choose what they would like to play with. In addition, equipment to encourage children's large physical skills is limited. Children enjoy using the natural resources

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

which provide them with rich sensory experiences. Children are kept safe indoors as staff are very safety conscious both indoors and outside. An intercom is used so people are identified before they are allowed through the gate and all visitors have to sign in and out. CCTV cameras show all rooms from the hallway so all areas are visible to the manager. Good staff to child ratios are maintained. Fire safety is good and emergency evacuations are well practiced and recorded each month. However, children's well being is not fully safeguarded by the staffs' knowledge of child protection. There are clear policies in line with local guidance. These include some examples of what to look out for and the procedures to follow. However, not all staff have a secure knowledge of these issues.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Many children are happy and settled. They receive good individual care because their needs and circumstances are well known by the staff. Other children receive less personalised care as their background and interests are less well known. Young children do not experience continuity of care. A person may greet them, another play with them, another sit with them at lunch and another change their nappies. This is because each child is not allocated to a special person to take particular care of them and act as the main point of contact with parents. Most children are engaged and involved in their play. They are finding out about the world using their whole bodies and all their senses. However, the youngest children have fewer opportunities to do this. Children are being creative and imaginative throughout the day. They use the wide range of open ended natural materials and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

interesting pretend play resources. Many children are rapidly developing new words and ways of expressing themselves through the quality of individual attention and interaction each child receives. However, the youngest children's communication skills are not supported by the frequent use of background music. Nursery Education. The overall quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. In the main, children are successfully engaged in a range of interesting practical activities. They are making

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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 satisfactory progress through the stepping stones towards the Early Learning Goals. Children benefit from the sound knowledge, planning and assessment systems to promote their progress. Children are mostly supported in their enquiry by the use of open-ended questions and they develop positive relationships with staff. However, although children benefit from the generally effective use of time and resources, their learning is sometimes interrupted by organisational priorities. Children are confident and motivated by the many opportunities on offer. They develop sound levels of concentration and persevere in their chosen tasks. For example, they squeeze play dough through tubes and successfully complete puzzles. Firm friendships are beginning to establish as children learn to share, take turns and build positive

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

relationships. Children clearly enjoy pouring their own drinks at snack time and happily select resources from the range offered by staff. Occasionally, however, more able children have exhausted all the possibilities available and wander in search of other options. They do not benefit from selecting their own resources independently. Children speak confidently as they engage adults in conversation, expressing their ideas and experiences. They regularly absorb themselves in books and delight as they successfully identify their names through a routine. Children particularly enjoy Spanish as they learn to name varying foods and objects and practice different accents. Children engage in a variety of creative opportunities and enjoy making marks but writing is not always linked to play to establish writing for many purposes. Children delight as they successfully repeat the mathematical language they consistently hear to identify, size, shape and quantities. For example, they recognise

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

"big" ,"small" and "tiny" amounts of play dough as they learn to distribute it evenly. They delight as they notice their "round and rectangle biscuit". Children count confidently as they recognise dots on the dominoes and learn to calculate through songs. However, some opportunities to reinforce problem solving through the routine, such as at snack time, are missed. Children are encouraged to talk about past and present events in their lives and learn about different cultures through the celebration of a variety of festivals. Topics and some resources are used to help promote an understanding of the local environment. However, children do not benefit from regular trips into the local community to support their knowledge. Children eagerly paint, use chalks and stick freely to communicate their thoughts, ideas and feelings. They delight as they successfully mix colours at the easel to make "pink" and "orange".

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Occasionally, children's skills are not extended by the use of prepared templates. They strengthen their fine motor movements as they successfully cut pieces of play dough and learn to control their brush strokes. Children frequently engage in imaginative play to mimic their observations of the world around them. The quality of their play, however, varies with the amount of support they receive. Children are not always supported effectively to extend their imaginations by exploring their experiences further.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are learning to value the different cultures of others through artwork and activities to celebrate a variety of festivals. They also enjoy exploring what it is like to

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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 wear different types of clothes in the dressing up area. However, only a few of the books available represent diversity and none portray positive images of disability or offer children alternatives to stereotypical male and female roles. Children relate well to each other and their good behaviour is praised to reinforce it. Occasionally the youngest children become frustrated by the lack of opportunity to run and climb and then become cross and tearful. Children understand right and wrong. When one child hurts another, staff are sensitive in helping the child. Children are generally helpful and co-operative. All ages enjoy helping at tidy up times. Children benefit from the good partnership between the nursery and the parents. The manager is the main contact with many parents. As a result, staff have limited

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Helping children make a positive contribution

opportunity to chat with parents about their children as they arrive and leave. However, records of children's artwork and developmental progress are regularly shared with parents. Displays and newsletters keep parents informed of what children have been doing and what is planned. Overall, children's Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development is fostered appropriately.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The leadership and management of the setting is satisfactory. Children benefit from a commitment to improvement and a clear management structure. The manager is aware of some of the settings strengths and some weaknesses. However, children do not benefit from a clear assessment of how fully their needs are met within the programme. This is because systems to monitor and evaluate the quality of the provision and that of the educational programme are not yet rigorous. Children benefit from the qualifications and training undertaken by some staff, particularly in relation to first aid. However, under half the staff working with the children have appropriate qualifications and few staff have specific training and a good understanding of working with children under 3. Moreover, an effective key person system is not in place to ensure continuity of care and a depth of understanding of each child. These factors are adversely affecting the quality of care

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Organisation

of the youngest children. Children enjoy a degree of security provided by good record keeping systems and many of the nursery's policies and procedures. However, systems to ensure all staff understand these are not fully effective. Children's health care needs are met because the appropriate records are in place to support their understanding of each child. Records are kept confidentially, maintaining the child's privacy. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last inspection, progress has been made in addressing the action and

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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 some, but not all, of the recommendations made at this visit. Children's well being is aided by the procedure for lost or uncollected children that is now in place. Children are learning to value their own background and those of others through some of the displays that are in place. However, positive images of disability are not apparent. Children are not fully safeguarded by staff's knowledge of child protection. In regard to the recommendation about enabling children to have more privacy when using the bathroom, the provider has decided that the dividers between toilets are sufficient because of the limited space in the children's bathroom. Nursery Education. The group have made some progress in addressing the five key issues arising from their last inspection. Children now have greater access to a wider range of resources

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Improvements since the last inspection

and materials and clearly enjoy using chalks and different collage materials to develop their own creative ideas. The short term planning has been improved so it is based on an assessment of children's progress. However, plans have yet to clearly identify the role of the adult and how activities can be adapted to suit the individual needs of the children. Children have participated in a project about science. This gave them opportunities to explore how things work, why things happen and to use information technology. They do not, as yet, benefit from regular chances to revisit and recall their understanding. Children now have more chances to explore writing but this is not consistently linked to their self chosen play and many opportunities to extend this are missed, As a result, this continues to remain an aspect for improvement. The group are currently working towards providing children with regular

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Improvements since the last inspection

opportunities to use large equipment to develop their climbing and balancing skills.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection Ofsted has received one complaint relating to Standard 1 Suitable Person and Standard 11 Behaviour. The complaint related to a child being spoken to and handled roughly. An unannounced investigation visit took place on 16 November 2005 and no evidence was found that the standards had been breached. The provider agreed to fully investigate the incident and record what she found. In addition, two actions were agreed to be taken by 21/11/2005 under Standards 1 and 14. These were to ensure children were not left in the care of unchecked adults and to keep all records relating to the day care on the premises. The provider has complied with the actions agreed and has investigated the incident. 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

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 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

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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): • provide more opportunities for all children to run, climb, balance and enjoy vigorous activity • ensure the environment is sufficiently spacious for children's play and that an appropriate temperature is maintained • offer children more opportunities to value their own and different cultures and abilities and to discover that certain toys or roles are not just for boys or just for girls • produce and implement an action plan of how the nursery will have sufficiently well qualified staff team • implement an effective key person system to provide children with continuity of care and to ensure individual needs are understood and met; enhance the provision for the youngest children, for example, through the use of the frameworks such as Birth to Three Matters.

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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): • continue to improve the short tem planning to indicate the role of the adult and how the activity can be adapted for the individual learning needs of children • provide more opportunities for children to develop in their independence, increase the opportunities for children to be able to attempt writing for a variety of purposes in their self chosen play • develop a rigorous system to monitor and review the groups' strengths and weaknesses and that of the educational programme.

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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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