Newcastle College Day Nursery

Newcastle College Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Newcastle College Day Nursery

Unique Reference Number EY231780 Inspection date 06 February 2006 Inspector Janet Fairhurst

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Newcastle College Day Nursery

Setting Address Rye Hill Campus, Scotswood Road, Newcastle, NE4 7SA

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E-mail

Registered person Newcastle College Day Nursery Type of inspection Childcare Type of care Full day care, Crèche

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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

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

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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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Newcastle College Day Nursery has been registered since 2002. The nursery is based in a purpose-designed Portacabin located in the grounds of the college itself. It is registered to look after 25 children aged from birth to under 5 years old. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery looks after the children of students who attend the college. It is open Monday to Friday, from 08.30 until 17.15, term time only. Currently, there are 41 children on roll. The nursery supports a number of children who have English as an additional language. The setting does not offer funded nursery education.

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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 nine members of staff; the manager and deputy are supernumerary. All staff hold appropriate child care qualifications. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are beginning to learn the importance of good personal hygiene through well-planned daily routines, for example, they are encouraged to wash their hands and brush their teeth; the staff provide the children with simple explanations as to why. Excellent procedures, such as staff consistently wearing disposable gloves and aprons for nappy changing, sustain high levels of hygiene and help prevent the spread of infection. Children develop and test their physical control through a good range of outdoor activities, for example, riding wheeled toys, crawling through the natural willow tunnel and climbing on large equipment in the garden. Staff use Birth to three matters guidance very well to provide a good range of physical play experiences for babies and young children. They have a very good understanding of each child's stage of development, which encourages children to try out new skills confidently.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy varied, well presented healthy meals and snacks, including fresh fruit, vegetables and a range of drinks. Staff take account of children's individual needs and parents' wishes. Babies are fed according to their personal needs and follow their own daily routine. Information regarding what children have eaten and babies' liquid intake is recorded and shared with parents daily. Children are able to choose whether they want to eat certain foods at meal times, but are encouraged to try different foods by staff, so as to promote healthy eating. Older children have their own individual drinking bottles which they can identify easily by their photograph. This helps children to become independent and ensures that they are well hydrated.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a safe, very well-maintained and totally child-orientated environment. Children's risk of accidental injury is minimised in the well designed nursery which has good safety and security precautions, such as close circuit television to the entrance of the building. Staff give high priority to children's safety and have a very good understanding of how to achieve a balance between moving freely and setting safe limits. Children have access to an excellent range of good quality play materials and equipment. The good organisation of the toys means that children can move around safely and freely to select resources independently from tables, baskets and boxes which are stored at child height.

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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 Knowledgeable staff fully understand and follow the setting's comprehensive polices and procedures to protect and keep children safe. Sensitive reminders, such as requests not to run indoors in case you fall, increase children's awareness of everyday safety in the setting and help them to take responsibility for keeping themselves safe. Children's welfare is well protected by staff who have a thorough understanding of their role and responsibility concerning child protection.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. The children enter nursery happily and settle quickly to self-chosen tasks. They have very easy access to an excellent range of stimulating and top quality resources which help them to make very rapid progress in all areas of their development. The well organised nursery environment makes this possible and encourages the children to make independent choices. This encourages the children's play to evolve naturally, helping them to learn and experience things at their own rate, such as when the very youngest children explore "treasure baskets". Through the highly effective key worker system, staff plan innovative and exciting activities, such as jelly or flour painting which are favourites with the very young children. These activities are based on the children's individual needs, preferences and abilities. During activities, the children experience a range of sensations to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

stimulate their senses and provide them with excellent opportunities to vocalise and gesture. Highly skilled and enthusiastic staff encourage the children to take the next step and help them to see ways to extend their play, to help the children to grow in confidence and to keep them focused, for example, in the baby room a baby played with the water tray. She was actively encouraged to feel, splash, experiment and investigate the water. This introduces them to the concepts such as colour, texture, form and balance. Children and staff form very good relationships with each other. Highly efficient staff deployment means that staff are on hand to reassure the children if they feel uncertain or unsure about something. Staff are very affectionate towards the children and are focused completely on them. Consequently, the children are happy, confident and secure. Children thoroughly enjoy their time in the nursery and achieve as much as they can

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

in their play, learning and development. Children are animated and enthusiastic as they make choices about their activities. They play happily with each other and staff, learning to take turns and respond to others as they participate in a rich range of activities, puzzles and books. Staff awareness and confident good use of the Birth to three matters guidance is improving children's achievements. Children are developing excellent levels of confidence and self-esteem, which they use effectively to voice their choices, feelings and ideas. Close and caring relationships increase children's sense of trust and help them to develop a strong sense of self. Early communication skills are extremely well-supported through high quality adult-child interactions. Staff successfully achieve a balance between supervised activities and allowing children freedom to create from their imagination and to take the leading role

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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 in their play. Staff's imaginative and effective use of detailed planning and evaluation ensures that all children experience worthwhile, stimulating and fun activities and make excellent progress. As a result, children become actively engaged in a wide range of purposeful and developmentally appropriate activities which provide high levels of challenge appropriate to their age and stage of development. The staff have devised files which contain example of activities. The links with the relevant aspects of the Birth to three framework is identified and accompanied by photographs, this approach provides pictorial account of all children's ongoing development and the presentation is outstanding.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Children are eager to attend and relish their time in the safe setting which puts them first. Children play a dynamic part in the setting, where their individual needs are extremely well met. An excellent range of resources, including books, dressing up clothes and bright wall posters are readily available and visible to the children. These introduce the children to images of people from other cultures and countries, to encourage the children to form positive views of diversity. Staff consistently praise and encourage children and have high, realistic expectations of them all, resulting in behaviour which is exemplary. Staff provide very good role models for children by being calm and polite. They go to a great deal of effort to ensure that individual needs of all children are met. This sometimes involves conducting research on alternative cultures and belief systems, learning familiar words in other languages and providing suitable advice on food,

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Helping children make a positive contribution

drinks and weaning. Partnership with parents is outstanding. Very good quality information is given to parents before their child starts the nursery to outline the aims of the setting and familiarise them with nursery routines. The information is presented to parents in their own language ensuring parents have a clear understanding and helps them to make an informed decision. Parents value the very effective settling-in procedures which help to ease the child's transition from home to nursery. Parents have extremely positive views about the staff, their skills, personal qualities and their commitment. An excellent daily diary system ensures that staff, parents and the children's extended families are kept fully informed about day-to-day and significant events in the children's lives. Additional information, about the Birth to three matters framework is available on the notice board to guide parents in supporting their children's learning

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Well-qualified and highly-skilled staff have an excellent awareness of the children as

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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 individuals through the effective key worker system that is in place. This enables staff to plan effectively to promote the children's individual needs and preferences, based on the children's abilities and starting points. Staff use the Birth to three matters framework to inform their excellent practice with children whose age or developmental stage is under three years old. Staff are guided by experienced and skilled managers who inspire, encourage and value their contributions. Regular appraisals with management offer staff opportunities to discuss career plans and training courses as well as issues concerning the children for whom they are the key worker. Recruitment and induction procedures are very effective, and as a result staff are extremely well aware of their

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Organisation

roles and responsibilities. They are also supported and guided by effective written procedures. The required records are in place and are very well-maintained however, staff attendance records are not sufficiently clear to help identify where they are based if staffing changes have occurred. The nursery environment is very well-organised with clearly defined play areas containing an excellent range of very good quality resources which are readily accessible to the children. Within this, staff are deployed in an effective way enabling them to focus completely on the children. Consequently, the children are purposefully engaged in their play, behave exceptionally well and are happy and settled. This contributes to the pleasant and harmonious atmosphere and the exceptionally low noise levels within the nursery. Staff are courteous, friendly and helpful to all who enter the nursery environment. They are excellent role models to the children, who

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Organisation

are learning from them the importance of treating others with respect and kindness.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Recommendations made at the last inspection have been addressed in full. Additional outdoor storage facilities have been purchased. A new safety surface has been installed in the garden which enhances children safety when using the large climbing equipment. Menus are reviewed on a regular basis and provide children with a wide choice and selection of foods from around the world. Staff have worked really hard to produce records of children's activities and their achievements. As a result both parents and staff have a clear account of how children are progressing, what they know and what they can do. Parents now have access to written information which is in their own language. The nursery have focused on the ten most common languages used which has been hugely successful and informative for parents.

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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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Complaints 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

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • devise a system which clearly identifies where staff are working throughout the day

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The quality and standards of the care

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 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

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