Bright Horizons Royal Earlswood Day Nursery and Preschool

Asquith Nursery - Royal Earlswood

Inspection report for early years provision

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Asquith Nursery - Royal Earlswood

Unique Reference Number EY287647 Inspection date 05 January 2006 Inspector Joanne Lindsey Caswell / Jacqui Lloyd

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Asquith Nursery - Royal Earlswood

Setting Address Asylum Arch, off Princes Road, Earlswood, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 6JJ Telephone number 01737 767629

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E-mail

Registered person Asquith Court Nurseries 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?

Asquith Nursery, Royal Earlswood, is part of Asquith Nurseries and has been registered under its current management since 2004, although it has been a registered nursery for many years. The nursery is situated in Redhill, Surrey, and operates from purpose-designed premises. It is open from 08.00 to 18.00, Monday to Friday. A maximum of 78 children may attend the nursery at any one time. Children are cared for in separate age groups with sleep areas, toilets, nappy change and

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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 hand washing facilities easily accessible from all group rooms. A fully enclosed garden provides an outside play area for all age groups. There are currently 118 children, aged from 3 months to 4 years, on roll. This includes 22 children who receive funding for nursery education. The nursery supports children with special needs and children who speak English as an additional language. A team of 26 staff work with the children. Of these, 21 hold recognised early years and childcare qualifications. In addition, specialist staff are employed to teach French and a commercial children's fitness programme. Additional staff include a cook and lunch cover staff.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's health and welfare needs are promoted as staff are mainly vigilant in maintaining a healthy environment. All nursery rooms are clean and well-maintained with good amounts of ventilation, creating a healthy atmosphere for children. All toys and resources for babies are regularly sterilised and thoroughly cleaned, protecting children from infection. Babies and toddlers' nappies are changed regularly and staff are vigilant in ensuring all children use their own individual, clearly labelled toiletries, in accordance with their health needs. Although most staff are conscientious in preventing the spread of infection during nappy change routines, some staff are less vigilant. This does not always sufficiently protect children against cross-infection. Children's health and care needs are made known to staff. Babies follow their own feeding and sleep routines, ensuring that all babies have sufficient feeds and rest

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Helping children to be healthy

periods to ensure their health and wellbeing. Babies have their own cots and individual bedding to prevent cross-infection. Toddlers have regular rest periods to ensure their healthy development. All children learn the importance of personal hygiene and understand why they must wash their hands regularly. This encourages children to learn to take care of their own needs, to promote their own good health. Older children learn about the importance of good dental hygiene and recently enjoyed a visit from a dentist. This enables children to recognise the importance of regular tooth brushing to keep themselves healthy. Children are very well protected against illness as there are clear procedures in place to exclude any child who is suffering from an infection. Parents are made aware that their children cannot attend the nursery if suffering from illness or infection. This ensures that all children are safe-guarded against illness.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children regularly play outside in the large, extensive garden. This enables children to run around and move about freely. They benefit from regular fresh air and exercise as the garden is used throughout the year. Children also participate in the 'Tots in

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Helping children to be healthy

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Sport' programme, which is specially designed to enable children to move in a variety of ways to develop their physical skills. Children's dietary needs are met extremely well. All children's meals and snacks are freshly-prepared and the daily menus have been devised by a nutritional expert. Staff are extremely attentive to children's different dietary requirements and ensure that these are met accordingly. Children enjoy large portions of food and clearly enjoy the meals provided for them. Babies' weaning needs are discussed and agreed with parents. Meal times are regarded as highly sociable parts of the daily routine. Older children help to prepare the tables for lunch and assist in serving the meals. Staff sit with the children and engage in conversation, creating a relaxed and homely

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Helping children to be healthy

environment for children. Babies are held closely for bottle feeding and effective staff deployment at meal times ensures that all babies and young children receive close attention and individual support, according to their needs.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. The premises are safe and well-maintained and children's security is regarded as a priority. Effective procedures are in place to ensure that unauthorised personnel do not gain access to the premises. The large, enclosed garden enables children to play safely and securely outside throughout the year. Children play with a good selection of quality toys, play materials and resources. Staff check these regularly to ensure they are safe and fit for children to use. Children begin to learn about the importance of keeping themselves safe. Staff give clear explanations, enabling children to understand the importance of negotiating stairs safely and being careful whilst playing with sand. This encourages children to take responsibility for keeping themselves safe and protecting themselves from harm. Children regularly practice evacuation drills to ensure they are familiar with the

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

procedures to follow in the event of an emergency. Staff have identified a place of safety, to ensure children's safety and welfare in the event of a permanent evacuation. There are many clearly identified fire exits from the premises, ensuring that children can evacuate quickly and easily. However, the parking arrangements of some parents sometimes restricts staff helping children to exit the premises safely and easily in the event of an emergency. Children are sufficiently protected against harm and abuse as most staff have a satisfactory understanding of their responsibilities regarding child protection. However, staff do not regularly update their knowledge and skills of child protection issues and some staff are less familiar with local procedures. This restricts some staff from confidently implementing the relevant procedures to safeguard children.

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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 Children enjoy very warm, close and loving relationships with the staff. They approach staff confidently and receive plenty of cuddles, love and physical affection. This creates a very cosy and homely environment for children and enables them to feel settled and secure. All staff are attentive to children's needs and interact very well. Staff engage in play with children and stimulate them appropriately. Children's developmental needs are met well as staff have a very good understanding of child development. Staff working with children aged under 3 years are developing a good understanding of the Birth to Three Matters framework. This enables the babies and younger children to enjoy a wide range of well-planned, stimulating and challenging play opportunities. For example, babies enjoy exploring

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

treasure baskets and show wonder and curiosity during heuristic play. Toddlers enjoy many musical activities and participate enthusiastically in sensory play involving textures such as sand, water, dough and lentils. All children develop their interest in books and stories as staff read books with the children and encourage them to participate with turning pages and lifting flaps, as part of the story. This encourages children's imagination and develops their listening skills and concentration. Children are very happy and settled within the nursery. They participate enthusiastically in all play activities and enjoy a busy and stimulating day. There are sufficient opportunities for children to rest and play, both inside and outside, to ensure their overall care and developmental needs are appropriately addressed. NURSERY EDUCATION The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children in the School Room progress

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

towards the early learning goals as staff have a very good understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum. Staff and children enjoy close relationships, creating a happy and positive learning environment. Children have many opportunities within the daily routine to develop their learning through well-planned activities. For example, children help to prepare the room for lunch. They use their mathematical skills to count how many plates, cups and chairs are needed and develop their understanding of the concepts of more/less than as they count and use simple calculation. Most activities within the daily routine are very well supervised to encourage children's learning and development. However, staff deployment is not always fully effective just before lunch when staff need to collect food from the kitchen. The ineffective staff deployment at this time results in poorly supervised story sessions and restricts the opportunities for children to enjoy this time.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have many opportunities to develop their independence throughout the daily routine. The School Room is very well organised, enabling children to make their own choices and assist with tidying up and preparing for lunch. Children help themselves to drinks and snacks and make their own decisions about activities. This encourages children to take responsibility and look after their own needs. Children enjoy being the 'helper' each day and assist staff within the daily routine. Children show care and concern for one another. They understand acceptable boundaries and remind one another about the importance of sharing and turn taking, clearly recognising right from wrong. Children are very happy and confident within the School Room. They engage in

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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 fluent conversation with both adults and children and convey their needs very effectively. Staff interact with children well and use open-ended questioning to encourage and extend children's vocabulary and language skills. Children see many examples of printed text and labels on display. This enables children to clearly recognise that print and words carry meaning. Children develop their writing skills by making their own notices to display and writing their own words and names. Children show an interest in books and stories and make their own books to share together. Children's mathematical skills are developing well. They have a clear understanding of numbers and counting and use a variety of resources for matching, sorting, weighing and measuring. This encourages children to develop an understanding of

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the concepts of colour, shape, weight and size. Children play with sand and water and talk about buckets being 'empty' and 'full', demonstrating their understanding of the concept of capacity. Children have many opportunities to explore and investigate. They hunt for mini beasts and wildlife within the extensive nursery garden and use their senses to observe nature within the sensory area. They develop their understanding of the wider world as they participate in weekly French lessons and talk about different places and countries as part of topic work. For example, children enjoy sharing their holiday experiences and use photographs to talk about where they have been. Children develop an understanding of the role of others as they explore topics such as 'Special People' and enjoy visitors to the setting, such as a dentist, the police and fire service. This encourages children to learn about the community in which they

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

live. Children's physical skills are developing well. They play outside in the extensive nursery garden and use apparatus such as the climbing frame, enabling them to develop muscle control and co-ordination. The weekly 'Tots in Sport' session enables children to move in a variety of ways and develop skills in balancing and movement. Children develop their manipulative skills by undertaking activities such as cutting out, writing, threading and using cutlery. Children participate in a wide range of creative skills. Their art work adorns the School Room walls and ceiling, demonstrating a variety of media and techniques. Children enjoy collage, printing, painting and model making. They use paints to create self-portraits and enjoy painting their hands to make prints. Children use their imagination well during role play. They enjoy using the dressing up clothes and use language creatively to develop and extend their play and ideas.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are regarded as individuals. They have a strong sense of belonging within the nursery as they see many examples of their creative work and photographs of themselves on display. This encourages children to feel part of the nursery and valued as individuals. Babies and toddlers enjoy looking at themselves in low level mirrors and older children develop their self-esteem as they feel listened to and their contributions welcomed. All children regularly take part in fund raising for less

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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 privileged children and adults, enabling children to develop an awareness of the needs of others. There are many examples of pictures and images of diversity within society around the nursery. Children play with toys and look at books which reflect children and adults with disabilities and a diverse range of nationalities, cultures, customs and family backgrounds. This enables children to develop positive attitudes towards diversity and recognise the importance of equality. As a result of this, children's social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered. There is provision in place to support children with special needs. Staff are familiar with the Code of Practice for integrating children with special needs and work in partnership with parents and external agencies to meet children's individual needs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's behaviour is managed well. Most activity times are supervised well, enabling children to be fully occupied, stimulated and challenged appropriately. Children clearly recognise the consequences of their actions and older children understand the importance of sharing and taking responsibility. Staff give children lots of praise and positive encouragement, creating a very fair and happy atmosphere. The partnership with parents and carers is good. Staff are committed to ensuring parents are fully aware of all aspects of the nursery routine, including the Foundation Stage Curriculum. Parents are welcomed into the nursery at all times and staff provide a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere. There are many examples of children's art work and photographs on display, enabling parents to see their children's achievements and feel involved in their children's time at nursery. This strengthens the partnership for children between home and nursery. Children follow

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Helping children make a positive contribution

consistent care routines between home and nursery as staff are conscientious in obtaining all necessary information from parents to meet each child's personal needs. For example, babies sleep in accordance with parents' wishes and all children's personal dietary requirements are discussed and agreed with parents.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Staff are qualified and experienced childcare professionals, who work well together as a dedicated and supportive team. Specialist staff are employed to teach activities such as French and sport. Effective procedures are in place to ensure that all staff are fully vetted and cleared to work with children. Staff have access to some additional training to ensure their knowledge and skills are updated. The nursery is organised well. This ensures that babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children are cared for in designated rooms, offering activities appropriate to each child's age and stage of development. Staff deployment is mainly effective to ensure that all required adult to child ratios are adhered to, in accordance with the national standards. All regulatory documentation is maintained in full and is kept up-to-date. Effective storage arrangements ensure that all records are stored confidentially.

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Organisation

The leadership and management is good. Staff have access to further training relating to the Foundation Stage curriculum, to ensure their knowledge and skills are regularly updated. Provision is in place for staff to review and evaluate their teaching

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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 practice, to address areas for improvement and ensure high standards. The 2 nursery managers take a full interest in the running of the pre-school and one manager is actively involved in the delivery of the Foundation Stage curriculum. All staff receive support from head office staff who visit the nursery regularly and offer in-house training opportunities. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since 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 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): • ensure staff implement consistent nappy change routines to prevent the spread of infection between children • improve staff's knowledge and understanding of child protection issues • ensure all emergency fire exits are unobstructed and accessible at all times to ensure children's safety

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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):

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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 • maintain effective staff deployment at all times to maximise the learning opportunities for children, particularly during the preparation for lunchtime

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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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