Ysgol Cylch Y Garn

Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Nursery

Unique Reference Number 400067 Inspection date 07 February 2006 Inspector Carol-Anne Shaw

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Nursery

Setting Address Uplands House, Castle Howard Road, Malton, North Yorkshire, YO17 6NJ Telephone number 01653 696232 E-mail anja@kinder-set.co.uk Registered person The Kinder Set Early Years School & Nursery Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

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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 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?

The Kinder Set Early Years School and Nursery was registered in 1996 and is a nursery school which is managed by the proprietor. It is located on the outskirts of the North Yorkshire market town of Malton. The children attending are drawn from the local farming community and from a wide catchment area. Older children are accommodated in the main house, whilst younger children have their own purpose built building within the grounds. The children have access to the outdoor play areas.

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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 There are 57 children on roll, 26 receive nursery funding and 2 children have English as an additional language. Appropriate provision is made for those children who have special educational needs . A maximum of ten sessions are offered to the children each week, with the nursery operating from 07.30 until 18:00 weekdays, for 50 weeks of the year. There are twelve staff employed, eight have an appropriate Level 3 qualification, two are students working towards Level 2. Two are doing a Montessori training course. The proprietor has a Montessori qualification and follows the Montessori approach to education in the early years. The nursery receives support from the local authority. The nursery is a member of Montessori Centre International.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children progress well because staff follow the clear policies and procedures in place which meet the children’s physical, nutritional and health needs. The staff give children good guidance and support, thus enabling them to gain a good understanding of hygiene and to become increasingly independent in their personal care. Older children are very good at putting on their coats and shoes. Children explore, test and develop physical control in well organised daily indoor and outdoor experiences. The staff show a very good awareness of individual children’s development through observations and assessments. They have a good understanding of how children develop physically. They encourage and support children to try out new skills, children are confident and are able to set their own limits within the safe environment. For example, climbing and practicing digging skills in the sand area. The older children are developing a positive attitude to physical exercise.

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Helping children to be healthy

They enjoy using the outdoor area, looking for different bulbs and waiting for them to flower. Children have made a simple willow construction to protect some snowdrops. The children have recorded that the growth of these flowers is in advance of the other unprotected bulbs. Children help themselves to accessible drinking water throughout the day, they enjoy a choice of fruits at the café service for snacks. Lunch is a social occasion with healthy nutritional meals cooked on the premises. Good attention is paid to managing children’s cultural and medical needs. Babies have individual meal routines that are developed as the child’s weaning progresses. Older children have a very good understanding of why they eat healthy foods and how it relates to their bodies. Effective liaison with parents ensures children’s individual dietary needs are fully met.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Risks of accidental injury to children are minimised because staff are vigilant and use very good risk assessment systems to reduce potential hazards. Staff have the skills

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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 and a good understanding of how to organise the older children into considering how they use equipment and safe ways of doing things. This allows children to learn about protecting themselves. For example, when playing outside the children are aware they do not go on the climbing equipment until it has been checked by staff and dried. The two year old explained why you walked and didn’t run, ‘so we don’t fall.’ Children access a wide range of high quality, safe and suitable toys, resources and equipment, all very appropriate to their age and stage of development. Most of the equipment is Montessori and set out to enable children of all ages to make choices and self-select. The staff are very effective in supporting children to make informed choices. The younger children also access many natural and sensory resources to

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

stimulate their senses. The safety of children with English as a second language is managed effectively, they are fully included because of sensitive staff support. The well organised activities and resources allow children with special needs safe access. The very good communication with parents contributes to children’s safety. Children are very well protected by staff that have a clear understanding of the child protection policies and procedures. Staff attend training and are fully aware of their responsibilities and give priority to children’s welfare.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their time at the nursery. They develop well because staff are confident and skilled using their knowledge and understanding to promote children’s development. Staff are motivated and interested in the children as individuals. The good staff ratios enable children to have lots of adult support. The older children arrive happy and eager to participate, they part from their parents and happily wave goodbye. Younger children go to their own unit, consistent staff know the children well and are sensitive to their individual needs, parting from parents with ease. The close and caring relationships are increasing children’s trust and help them develop confidence and build self-esteem. Early communication skills are well supported through good adult-child interactions. Children are beginning to make sense of the world and express their ideas through lots of different planned

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

activities and free play that support their learning. Continuity of care for babies is supported by providing consistent staff. This ensures children's individual routines are followed, which enables them to develop good relationships with the staff and encourages their independence. There is a positive bond and appropriate physical contact between the younger children and staff, which increases children's wellbeing and sense of self. There are opportunities for the children to express their ideas and be involved with a wide variety of activities and experiences. The children enjoy the many play activities and explore paints, textures, music and songs. Overall this provides the children with an environment which promotes development and good care. The nursery progresses the development of the under 3's in a systematic way, using assessments to support the planning. However, the links between the Birth to three matters framework and the Montessori

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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 approach have not been fully developed. Information is shared with staff in each area as the children progress through the nursery. This gives staff insight into individual children's developmental needs and assists them in planning for them when they come into pre-school. Nursery Education. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff demonstrate a sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage and how it links with the Montessori programme. They plan and provide effective and realistic challenges for the children in all areas. The activities are well organised and supported with relevant resources and equipment. A good range of teaching methods are used, this ensures children learn across all areas of the curriculum. Children are motivated, confident, self-assured and keen to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

participate. This is promoted by staff's enthusiasm and interest in them. Children work well together and follow simple rules to support sharing and safety. The more able children assist others in accessing resources, helping with coats and tidy away the equipment and resources. Children use their imagination in role-play situations, for example, a group of boys dress in oriental costumes, one child using the dinosaur outfit states ‘I am a baby dragon.’ They use their creative play to demonstrate their sense of the world around them. There are very good displays of the children's work, showing a variety of resources and methods used by them, such as collage, models and free painting. The work done to support the Chinese New Year topic has covered many learning areas of the curriculum. For example, the dragon dance was very much enjoyed by the children, who were enthusiastic to show their singing and dancing skills.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children communicate and express themselves very well, both with each other, staff and visiting adults. Interaction is appropriate and staff encourage children to share their experiences at circle time. This helps them develop their language and thinking skills as well as confidence and independence. They use resources for mark making in their play and learn to recognise and sound letters through displays, labelling and books. Children are gaining confidence in their mathematical language. They use numbers and solve simple problems in their everyday activities, for example, when playing in the sand, counting how many spades of sand it takes to fill the bucket. They learn sequencing through patterns and observing the life of the butterfly and frog. Physical skills are extended and supported with good access to outside play opportunities, use of music and movement, access to musical instruments and the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

ability to use a wide variety of tools and resources. Children explore and investigate their surroundings through a variety of mediums, for example, looking after the garden, growing seeds and feeding the birds. Children access resources to support their understanding of technology, for example, a child demonstrated how to light the bulb and make the buzzer work by connecting different wires to make the circuit. Assessments in all areas are used effectively to plan for the children's next steps in their learning. The assessment of children's learning is used effectively to inform the planning for individual children. This gives all children sufficient challenge to extend

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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 their skills.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The partnership with parents is outstanding. The children are made welcome in all areas of the nursery. Staff value children's individuality and respect parents views and contribution to the care provided. Younger children’s home routines are recorded and discussed, the staff follow this appropriately. The children’s behaviour is very good and the staff show a consistent and caring approach to managing behaviour. The older children follow simple rules and the routines and boundaries in place. Children share and show respect for others, they take turns and show good manners, say please and thank you. They learn to negotiate and take responsibility for their own behaviour. As a result children's spiritual moral, social and cultural development is fostered appropriately. Children have very good opportunities to learn about the world about them, through topics and resources that promote diversity in all areas. Their own and other cultures

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Helping children make a positive contribution

are effectively supported. The outstanding partnership with parents contributes significantly to children’s wellbeing in the nursery. Parent’s views are sought through discussion, documentation and questionnaires, on a regular basis throughout the time their children attend the nursery. The owner is always available for discussion. The care manager role is significant in monitoring and supporting home routines for the younger children. Effective systems are in place to ensure all parents are kept informed of how their child is progressing in their development and learning. Daily diaries support two-way communication for the younger children. Meetings with parents, to go through children's assessments and progress are organised. Children benefit from the involvement of parents in projects and topics which contributes to their good health, development and learning. The nursery library service enables parents to be involved with the children's learning and development.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Leadership and management is good. The good organisation of the nursery in all sections, provides a welcoming environment for children to play and learn. There is a wide range of suitable policies and procedures in place to support the management of the nursery. The premises in all sections are planned to support and promote children’s learning. The care manager has a pastoral role ensuring all families are effectively supported and individual care plans are followed. The staff ratios ensure children have good support, this allows children to experience many interesting and different activities throughout the day. The use of time, space and resources enhances children's learning in all sections.

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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 Children’s care and learning is supported with good leadership and management of the nursery education. Children benefit from the staff having a sound knowledge of how children learn. Detailed procedures are in place for induction and the ongoing training and updating of staff. However, the planning to maintain the level of first aid qualification is not as effective. Staff have a commitment to improvement and personal development, this underpins the care and welfare of the children in the setting. The monitoring of the nursery education is done by the owner. This is done systematically and informs the future development plans for the provision. Staff show enthusiasm and work as a team to ensure the provision meets the needs of all the children who attend. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the children who attend.

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Improvements since the last inspection

There has been good progress since the last inspection. At the last inspection there was one recommendation made relating to outdoor play. Children in all sections are now able to access outdoor play. The baby unit is organised to allow free access, weather permitting. The older children have times planned into the day to access the outdoor provision. The Nursery Education had recommendations to develop the use of information and communication technology and to continue with the staff training programme. The nursery has used many different resources to foster and support children’s understanding of technology. The staff continue to develop their knowledge and understanding of how children learn by attending training events. The recommendations have been followed resulting in the nursery meeting the needs of all the children they care for.

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Complaints since the last inspection

A concern was raised in relation to Standard 1. An unannounced visit was carried out by a childcare inspector on 11/01/2005. The issues were discussed with the registered person and observations made of the nursery environment. No actions were raised. 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 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

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 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): • develop the forward planning to maintain the first aid qualifications of staff • continue to develop the use of the Birth to three matters framework and link it to the Montessori approach.

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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 develop the outdoor curriculum.

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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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