Yukon Day NurseryOfsted inspection, 23 Feb 2006

Yukon Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Yukon Day Nursery

Unique Reference Number 123142 Inspection date 23 February 2006 Inspector Gillian Cubitt

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Yukon Day Nursery

Setting Address Dalton House, Yukon Road, Balham Hill Estate, Balham, SW12 9DN Telephone number 020 8675 8838

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E-mail

Registered person Yukon Day Nursery Ltd. 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?

Yukon Day Nursery opened in 1993. It offers full day care for children aged 2 years to under 5 years. The nursery is open Monday to Friday between 08:30 and 18:00 for 50 weeks of the year. There are currently 9 children on roll. Their hours of attendance vary to suit the working hours of their parents. At present, there are no children attending who have special needs and there are 2 children who speak English as an additional language.

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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 provides funded places for children aged 3 and 4 years. The provision is based in a large hall with additional rooms, underneath a block of flats on the Balham Hill estate in Wandsworth. All children have access to a secure outside play area, which is situated very near to the premises. There are 4 full-time staff working in the nursery, including the manager and the cook. There are 3 staff who have childcare qualifications. Temporary staff are employed to maintain the ratios during staff absence. The nursery receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children enjoy a wide range of physical activities that contribute to their health and well-being. They eagerly put on their coats and hats as they look forward to their daily period of outside play. Children keep themselves warm by running around, kicking and catching balls and spinning hoops. Children also extend their physical development with planned dance and physical education sessions. Children have the opportunity to be active as well as having planned rest periods after lunch where they can either sleep, read or have quieter activities. Children learn the importance of personal hygiene through well organised daily routines and activities. They line up to go to the toilets where they have their own flannels and toothbrushes. Children know that they have to clean their hands after messy play and going to the toilet as staff constantly remind them that their hands have germs. Cleaning hands is enjoyable because there are child-friendly soap

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Helping children to be healthy

pumps. Children watch the foam appear and they rub their hands and rinse under running water and dry them with individual paper towels. Children are protected from infection because the staff are informed about children's health care matters. All the required documentation is in place, although, medication procedures lack detail. Children are cared for in a warm, clean environment where staff follow good hygiene routines to prevent the spread of infection. Children benefit from a healthy diet. They are able to access water at any time. Children enjoy a good range of healthy, freshly made meals which comprise of breakfast, midday meal and tea. The cook prepares nutritious home-cooked food where children's individual dietary needs are carefully observed, so that children remain healthy. Children are beginning to learn about the benefits of eating healthily through discussions at snack times and topic based activities.

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Helping children to be healthy

Procedures are in place to help staff in the children's best interests, should an accident or serious illness occur. For example, parents complete documentation that permit staff to act quickly if children become ill or if there is a medical emergency. Key members of staff hold a current first aid qualification so they are able to act quickly and efficiently if a child needs medical attention.

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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

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. A range of effective procedures are in place to keep children safe and secure. For example, staff are deployed so that children are supervised at all times and regular risk assessments are carried out to minimise hazards. Health and safety requirements are carefully followed to keep children safe when they go on outings. Children use a varied range of safe, developmentally appropriate resources which are cleaned and checked frequently. They learn to take responsibility for keeping themselves and each other safe through organised activities, discussion and examples set by the staff. For example, children are asked to hold hands and take care when walking to the outside play area; they stop at the kerb and look both ways before crossing the small road to their playground. Children participate in regular fire drills and know why they must leave the building promptly in the event of a fire.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Systems in place ensure that permanent staff are appropriately vetted, although, this does not include peripatetic staff which impacts on children's safety. Staff's knowledge of protecting children is satisfactory as they have clear procedures to follow if they have any concerns, although methods of recording incidents are not clear.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children are happy and settled. Staff provide a supportive and caring environment where positive relationships are formed. Children enjoy their time at the nursery and have access to a broad range of activities. All children acquire new knowledge and skills, especially through their free-play periods where they explore with play dough, sand, water and construction toys. Staff constantly interact with them and ask questions to make children think during their play. The hour session which concentrates on teaching children however, is too long for very young children to sit through and the activity is very staff directed. Staff at present do not use the framework to Birth to three matters to ensure activities are prepared that link in with children's age and stage of development. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children are making progress

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

because the size of the group is very small and staff know children well. The manager and staff plan activities based on the six areas of learning which ensures children have a broad curriculum. Staff observe children's progress and make a mental note on how well children are progressing. Staff, however, do not write their observations on children's progress from the planned activities. Consequently, they do not sufficiently link activities to the stepping stones so that they can effectively plan the next stage in children's learning. Some children, therefore, are challenged appropriately but not all children benefit from the same activity and at times,

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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 intervention and help is given to children who do not complete set tasks. At the time of the inspection, there were no children with special educational needs, although, there are systems in place to provide support if required. Children feel secure within the daily routines. They become involved and enjoy their free-play sessions. Their senses are heightened as they respond to what they see, smell and touch. They enjoy kneading play dough as well as smelling different items such as onion, jelly and vanilla. They enjoy talking about the different textures. Children's favourite times are when they group together to sing their favourite songs. They are becoming confident as they sing well-known songs with enthusiasm and performing the appropriate actions to the words. Children enjoy stories and have

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

many opportunities to look at books. They know that writing has a meaning and staff actively encourage them to write their names on their finished work. Children's awareness of shapes and numbers is positively encouraged as they see them displayed in every room and around outside areas of the nursery. Children confidently count by rote and they are able to point to numbers when staff ask. Staff give children one-to-one sessions in understanding simple addition and subtraction. Children have designated periods where they can develop their creativity, such as, junk modelling and painting and these are displayed so that children and parents can see. Children learn about the world about them by having regular outings, such as to the farm, zoo and fire station. They have access to computers, although, these are always closely supervised. Children's spatial awareness is being developed as they move around their environment with confidence and through planned sessions for

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children benefit from a range of activities and resources to promote a positive view of the wider world and increase their awareness of diversity. They celebrate various festivals from around the world, enjoy stories about children from different ethnic backgrounds and taste food from other cultures. Systems are in place for children with special needs, although there were no children present at the time of inspection. All children receive a warm welcome and take part in a wide range of activities. The children work harmoniously together as they share and take turns and develop concerns for others. Older children happily take responsibility for assisting younger children. Staff however, at times are over- protective and tend to clear away after children have finished messy activities. Children are not encouraged to dress themselves which also hinders their developing independence. Staff are positive role

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Helping children make a positive contribution

models and manage behaviour effectively which encourages the children to learn right from wrong. Children are very polite and show appreciation for their meals by thanking the cook and saying their thank you prayer; they patiently wait until everyone is ready before they eat. The setting fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The quality of the partnership with parents and carers is good.

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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 Parents receive plenty of information about the provision through a detailed parent pack. Parents are made very welcome and are kept informed about current topics through their notice boards and regular newsletters. Parents complete information forms as to what their children like doing at home and they are invited to parents sessions, where staff provide them with information about their children's progress with detailed written reports. Parents like the open door policy and feel that they can approach the staff at any time. At the end of each day, parents have opportunities to exchange information about their children and they receive brief written information on the progress of the child's day.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. All of the policies and procedures are in place pertaining to running of the nursery on a daily basis which keeps children healthy and generally safeguards their welfare. However, the provider has not set up systems to vet peripatetic staff which impacts on children's safety. Some policies such as the complaints procedure require updating and the methods of recording medication, accident and incident forms are not completely thorough. The organisation of the daily and weekly routines, plus the ability of staff to give children individual attention, enables them to experience different types of play and social times. Overall, the nursery meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides. The quality of leadership and management of the nursery education is satisfactory. The manager arranges regular meetings with the staff to share information about weekly and daily planning. There is a key worker system in place to support the

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Organisation

children and for parents and carers to have a point of contact. The provider works closely with staff and is aware of staff's lack of knowledge of the framework of Birth to three matters. Systems for the curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage have been recently reviewed and staff are developing their knowledge of observations so that they can link these in to future planning. Staff have appraisals, although these are not regular as the group is currently small and individual training needs are discussed at meetings or informally.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last Children Act inspection, the provider agreed to a number of improvements to support the care and well-being of the children. The child protection procedure is now in place and complies with the Area Child Protection Committee guidelines and children's records are now stored securely in the provider's office which ensures children's details are kept confidential. Times of children's attendance is now logged each day so staff know at all times who is present in case of a fire. The action plan to ensure that at least one member of staff holds a current first aid certificate has been implemented which ensures children's safety. The recommendation to ensure that children have improved opportunities to have

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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 regular access to creative resources have also been implemented; children have a daily period where they can access sand and water plus painting materials. Although, they are not able to freely access these throughout the day which hinders their independence. At the last education inspection, the nursery was given recommendations to improve children's learning. The nursery was asked to increase and develop further mathematical concepts and provide more opportunities for children to engage in freely chosen activities. They were also asked to organise resources to enable children to choose and make the best use of the range of learning materials. The nursery have developed children's understanding of numbers and mathematical concepts in its everyday activities. Children are made aware of numbers and shapes

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Improvements since the last inspection

in their environment and count at every opportunity. The organisation of the room provides children with opportunities to access resources easily and during their free play sessions they are able to make the best use of the materials. The nursery was also asked to provide more detailed written plans to cover six areas of learning and assessments on each child to be carried out. The plans now cover the six areas of learning and although child assessments are carried out, staff do not sufficiently link these in with the next steps in children's learning which restricts their ability to plan effectively for individual children.

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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 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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure that accidents are recorded on separate pages for confidentiality and parents sign after medication has been administered

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 • develop adequate systems that ensure employees are suitable to work or be in regular contact with children • ensure that incidents are recorded correctly and signed by parents • develop staff's understanding of child development for children under three years and implement the system of observation using Birth to three matters • review the current complaints procedure to include a log book of complaints and make this available to parents and the regulatory body on request

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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): • develop staff's understanding of the foundation stage so that they can plan effectively for children's next steps in their learning • develop children's independence by encouraging them to clean and tidy after their play and to put their coats on before they go outside • permit children to complete their own activities without intervention from staff

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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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