Grange Junior School

Fullers Hall Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Fullers Hall Day Nursery

Unique Reference Number 128503 Inspection date 21 February 2006 Inspector Jennifer Liverpool

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Fullers Hall Day Nursery

Setting Address 64a Fullers Road, South Woodford, London, E18 2QA

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E-mail

Registered person Fullers Hall Day Nursery 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?

Fullers Hall Day Nursery is managed by a voluntary management committee. It opened in 1973 and operates from a large room within a purposefully converted Hall. The setting is located in South Woodford in the London borough of Redbridge. A maximum of 30 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 08:00 to 18:00 for 51 weeks of the year. All the children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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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 currently 48 children from 2 to under 5-years old on roll. Of these 15 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from wide catchment area, and attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery employs seven staff, of which, six, including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications. One member of staff is working towards a qualification. There are additional support staff within the team. The nursery receives support from the Local Authority, and they are currently participating in a quality assurance scheme.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children work and play in a clean and tidy environment. They receive appropriate support to develop good personal hygiene, and older children are becoming competent in self-care skills. Children follow good routines; such as, washing their hands before eating and after visiting the toilet. Despite there being a lack of explanation at times to help children understand why they need to wash their hands, useful posters are displayed in the toilets for their guidance. This is particularly beneficial to younger children and contributes to developing their independence. Practitioners know and understand how to protect children from infection. They use protective clothing for nappy changing and the serving of food to children. All practitioners hold current first aid certificates. This means they can give appropriate care if there is an accident. Children benefit from healthy meals. They enjoy nutritiously balanced meals that are

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Helping children to be healthy

cooked on the premises by the borough caterers. Practitioners gather relevant information from parents about their children's dietary requirements and this ensures that individual dietary needs are met. Children receive at least three choices of meals at lunch time; which includes, Irish stew, bean casserole, turkey hot pot, with various cooked vegetables. Children are encouraged to choose what they wish to eat. This means that children are learning to make healthy choices. Children know when they are thirsty and they help themselves to fresh drinking water throughout the session. Children play outside and extend their physical skills on a daily basis. They enjoy opportunities to take part in music and movement sessions outdoors, and they show good co-ordination when climbing, running and riding tricycles and scooters.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children move confidently around the environment, both inside and outside. Space is organised to allow children opportunities to be active, engage in physical activities, relax and share books in a comfortable book area. There are appropriate security systems to monitor unwanted visitors, and prevent children from leaving the premises unsupervised. Children have generally good and safe access to toys and equipment.

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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 They benefit from using a suitable and developmentally appropriate range of toys that all conforms to safety standards. Practitioners make good use of the garden in order to extend some of the indoor activities and provide daily opportunities for physical play. Children are generally kept safe because practitioners carry out regular risk assessments that enable them to work, play and explore their environment with minimal danger. Children are learning to take responsibility to keep themselves safe through gentle reminders and as they regularly practise fire evacuation procedures. Although there are appropriate measures in place for fire safety precautions, the fire extinguishers are not well maintained. Children's welfare is safeguarded because practitioners are aware of child protection policies and have good understanding of

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

signs and symptoms of abuse and know what actions to take if they have any concerns about a child in their care.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy to attend the nursery and they look forward to their day. They confidently try out a range of activities, and many of them particularly the younger children are content in working independently or in small groups. All children are settled and the newest members of the nursery are beginning to develop relationships with children and adults. This is because practitioners get to know the children's individual needs and plan a good range of activities that are appropriate for their age and stage of development. Children's communication and thinking skills are being developed well because practitioners ask questions that make them think, listen to their responses and value each child's comments. Children have opportunities to explore and experiment through a range of well planned activities that includes using their senses to respond to what they feel, taste, smell and observe. Children are learning by first-hand

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

experiences as they have easy access to a variety of items and products that are displayed on the interest table. These include materials of different textures, fresh lemon halves and the rice grains they use as fillers for their made musical instruments. Children's creative and imaginative development is well promoted through the variety and range of activities that appeal to their interests. They express their own ideas through painting, making models and musical instruments out of recycled products, and moving parts of their bodies to the rhythm of music. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children are making good progress along the stepping stones towards the early learning goals because practitioners plan and provide an interesting range of activities which follows children's interests and provide challenges. Practitioners are secure in their knowledge and understanding of

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the Foundation Stage and they are able to demonstrate appropriate skills and confidence needed to extend children's learning through effective questioning and

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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 support. There are sufficient resources to support children's learning in all areas of the curriculum and practitioners make good use of the learning resources and organisation of resources to encourage children's use. The present system for planning covers the six areas of learning, gives clear details of what children are expected to learn, includes the grouping of children and the role of adults. The system used for monitoring children's progress is manageable, provides a clear picture of children's achievements and identifies the next stage of children's learning. Practitioners use this information to plan the curriculum for children's individual needs and abilities. Children enjoy their time and they fully engage in purposeful activities and learning experiences. They play co-operatively together in small and large groups and wait for

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

their turn during activities; such as, using spoons to measure cooking ingredients. Children are able to work independently at activities without adult support, and their concentration is good, particularly with games that they initiate themselves. Children are encouraged to help with routine tasks; such as, tidying up, and helping to hand out fruits to their peers at snack time. Children demonstrate a growing vocabulary through daily informal discussions at circle and meal times. They listen attentively to stories and instruction given. Older children show interest in writing, and some are beginning to write their first names on their work. Children are encouraged to recognise their own names, when sitting down for lunch and some opportunities to recognise simple words are provided during matching games. Children are learning to use mathematical language to describe size and quantity when playing with water play and cooking cakes. Practitioners use practical activities;

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

such as, reading stories and singing songs to encourage children to count. Many older children can accurately count to 20 and beyond, recognise numbers 1 to 10 and are learning to record numbers. However, there are insufficient planned opportunities for children to practice solving mathematical problems including simple addition and subtraction. They enjoy counting, and they do so in their general conversation in the book and role-play areas. Children are learning to recognise mathematical patterns on wall displays and they are beginning to recreate simple patterns when using mosaic Lego bricks. Opportunities are provided for children to develop their awareness of some aspects of their local community through visits from parents in their professional roles as a nurse, police and fire officers. Children have access to computers and they demonstrate good mouse control skills.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are confident and secure because of the successful partnership the practitioners have with parents. The relationships are friendly and supportive. Practitioners gather all relevant information about children, work alongside parents to help with the settling in process and become key workers to an identified group of children. This enables practitioners to meet children's individual needs. Parents feel welcome and practitioners encourage them to become involved in their children's learning through encouraging them to share their skills, time, and responding to their comments and suggestions. Practitioners welcome and value parents contributions.

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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 Children become involved in a range of activities where they learn to respect other cultures. Practitioners are aware of children's individual needs and respect their differences. There are good systems in place to support children who have special needs. Close liaison with parents and outside agencies ensure all children's needs are well planned for and met. Practitioners use picture exchange communication symbols which help children who have learning/hearing difficulties. Children behave well and benefit from constant praise and encouragement. Children's spiritual, moral social and cultural development is fostered appropriately and good relationships with their peers and practitioners are evident.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is good. Parents are actively involved in the management committee of the nursery. They are provided with information about the educational programme; which includes, the topics, cultural and religious celebrations and suggestions of activities that they can do at home with their children. This ensures children's individual and learning needs are met. Opportunities to discuss children's progress are provided on a daily basis, formally and, parents social gatherings are organised at least twice a year. Parents are kept well informed about their child's progress as the need arise and through formal reports. Parents are invited to contribute to their children's assessments by adding their own comments.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children benefit from qualified and experience practitioners who are friendly and very caring. Practitioners work well as a team and are clear about their roles and responsibilities resulting in children's development and learning needs being met. There are suitable recruitment procedures in place. Policies and procedures are used effectively to promote the welfare, care and learning of children. The layout of the premises is appropriately organised and children are able to work, rest, and play outside throughout the session. Children are well grouped and the key worker system ensures appropriate support and care throughout the day. Management and practitioners recognise the strengths of the group and identify areas for improvement, although little consideration is given to the maintenance of the fire safety equipment. The leadership and management is good. Practitioners are knowledgeable about the

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Organisation

foundation stage curriculum and are experienced in working with pre-school aged children, which impacts on the achievements children make. Management are very supportive using discussions and regular meetings with practitioners to monitor the provision for care and education. They actively encourage practitioners to undertake relevant training, and there are opportunities for them to participate in regular appraisals identifying strengths and development. This supports practitioners in their roles. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last Children Act inspection the nursery was asked to inform Ofsted of staff

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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 and committee members who have left. There have been no changes to the management of the nursery since the last inspection. The previous nursery education inspection recommended that the group provide more opportunities for children to write for a purpose during every day activities, support more able children to recognise the sounds that letters make, and provide greater challenges for them during music sessions. Suitable and worthwhile activities such as rhymes and jolly phonic sounds are regularly provided. At these times children are grouped according to their age and abilities to ensure that the activities are appropriate for their individual needs. There are regular opportunities for children to write for different purposes as seen in activity plans, role-play and graphics areas.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Children enjoy writing. They write symbols on note pads in the home area, and some older children write their own names on their artwork. Practitioners have introduced ribbons in the music and movement session, this has added variety and children are learning to move in different ways. Children move freely with confidence when participating in music and movement sessions outdoors.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since the last inspection. 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): • improve fire safety precaution by ensuring that fire extinguishers are well maintained

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered

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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 person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • provide more practical opportunities for children to practise problem solving, including simple addition and subtraction

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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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