Bright Horizons New Eltham Day Nursery and Preschool

Asquith Nursery - New Eltham

Inspection report for early years provision

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Asquith Nursery - New Eltham

Unique Reference Number EY286821 Inspection date 21 February 2006 Inspector Beverly Hallett

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Asquith Nursery - New Eltham

Setting Address 699 Sidcup Road, New Eltham, London, SE9 3AQ

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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 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?

Asquith Nursery - New Eltham is one of the group of 114 nurseries run by Asquith Nurseries Limited. It opened 11 years ago and operates from 7 rooms in a building adapted from a sports annex. It is situated in the New Eltham area of the London Borough of Greenwich. A maximum of 117 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

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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 children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 159 children aged from 3 months to under 5 years on roll. Of these, 40 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from a wide catchment area, as most of their parents travel in to work in the city or around New Eltham. The nursery currently supports a number of children with special educational needs, and also supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 32 staff; of these 20, including the manager, hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children learn about the importance of good personal hygiene through suitable routines. Staff encourage them to wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating meals and snacks. Sound procedures such as, staff consistently wearing disposable gloves and cleaning changing mats with an anti-bacterial spray, sustain satisfactory levels of hygiene and help prevent the spread of infection. However, the very poor condition of the environment in the over-3-year-olds building, and of equipment such as carpets and tables, has a detrimental effect on the overall hygiene standards. Children enjoy a varied range of energetic physical activities. They have good opportunities to practise throwing and catching, balancing and playing football through planned activities offered as part of outside play time. Staff supervise children well, both inside and out, encouraging physical independence and

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Helping children to be healthy

supporting safety. Children enjoy a varied menu which follows healthy eating guidelines and caters for a variety of special dietary requirements. Menus include items such as vegetable curry, fish pie and vegetables. Children are learning to make healthy choices as they choose from a variety of fruits at snack times. Children are offered some opportunities to serve themselves at some meal times, supporting their independence. Staff are beginning to use the Birth to Three Matters framework and this supports the younger children's development in all areas. Children have established good relationships with the staff who interact in a gentle and supportive manner. This enables children to feel happy within their surroundings and maximises their learning opportunities. Children freely go to staff for cuddles and reassurance, developing healthy dependence to support their emotional well-being. Children's home routines

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Helping children to be healthy

are supported within the nursery and babies are able to rest, eat and be active according to their individual needs.

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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. Children confidently explore a suitably organised environment which offers a good range of activities throughout the day. Equipment is stored at children's level, encouraging children's independence and choice by allowing children to freely access toys and resources to extend their own play. Unfortunately the lack of building and equipment maintenance results in dirty paintwork, cluttered décor and broken lights, making some rooms very dark, unhygienic and unwelcoming. Toys and resources are of good quality and provide interesting choices for children to choose from. Effective procedures and security equipment ensures the safe arrival and departure of children and staff supervise children well. Policies and procedures to protect children are thorough and well written, and staff are knowledgeable and confident in their role in protecting children in case of child protection concerns.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The under-3-year-olds' environment is clean, fresh, warm and welcoming, providing a very cosy yet stimulating atmosphere in which babies thrive.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children and babies enjoy their time at the nursery and are consistently and appropriately stimulated by the activities they are offered. Children are interested and involved in their play. Staff further capture and extend their interest through good interaction, asking questions and encouraging them to participate in activities which appeal to them. Children participate in a well-balanced range of activities that include quiet and active play; such as, reading stories and painting, some of which are adult-initiated. The younger children benefit significantly from the organisation of the environment which offers a warm and stimulating environment. Children help themselves to the extensive variety of good quality toys and games which are stored around the room. Children make positive relationships with adults and each other. Their questions are answered by a caring sensitive adult; they receive gentle support in solving problems,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and engage in a wide variety of well-planned activities on a daily basis which offer learning across all areas. Although staff have a limited knowledge of the Birth to Three Matters framework, sound knowledge of child development is used to develop the progress of younger children and babies. Babies and young children are becoming skilful communicators as staff use very good interaction skills to encourage and converse with them at all times during the day. Children are becoming competent learners as they confidently explore their indoor and outdoor environment and enjoy good opportunities to make marks using paint, crayons and chalks.

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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 All of the children are enthusiastic when taken outside to play and explore. An interesting and balanced range of equipment and toys provides them with good challenges. This develops good physical skills and confidence in their abilities. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff use the Foundation Stage curriculum to plan in the medium and long term and support the children in adult-planned and child-initiated activities so that they are helped to achieve the intended outcome. However, staff do not consistently plan, evaluate and extend activities to meet the needs of older and more able children and due to staff's lack of understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum, planned learning does not securely ensure children are making progress in all learning areas.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children participate in all of the activities available with enthusiasm and enjoy good relationships with staff and each other. Children show an understanding of the needs of others; for instance, they help each other and take turns willingly. They show very good independence both in accessing learning opportunities and using self-help skills; such as, pouring drinks and helping themselves to food at snack time. Children do not have access to toys, resources and activities which develop understanding of differences in culture, race and religion. Older children communicate with adults and each other with confidence; they respond to questions, listen to stories and enjoy practising their writing skills as part of adult-planned activities. Staff read stories to the children, who participate in story lines with gusto and are able to suggest what happens next. However, opportunities for children to read and write for different purposes as part of every day play are

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

missing. Children are developing their understanding of numbers through displays in the environment and by the use of equipment to support early counting and number recognition. Staff encourage children to understand time by discussing seasons, the days of the week and referring to yesterday. Children are offered a good range of resources to develop their physical skills. Outside times are well planned to ensure a balanced range of activities are offered throughout the week and make the most of limited time outside. Children benefit from a small range of activities which allow them to explore different materials and textures; such as, paint and sand. They use their imaginations well, as staff provide suitable activities; such as, role-play, collage and junk modelling. Children are confident and adept in producing construction, paintings and drawings.

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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's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children are treated as individuals and staff use appropriate interaction skills to support individual children in participating in activities. Children's efforts and achievements are valued, and their positive self-image is promoted as staff use lots of praise and encouragement and display individual pieces of work throughout the nursery. However, children are not introduced to differences in culture and religion through planned topics, and books and resources which offer positive images of a diverse society are minimal. Children are generally well behaved, sharing and taking turns appropriately and helping to tidy up at the end of the session. However, on some occasions staff do not manage transition times in an effective way to maintain children's behaviour and

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Helping children make a positive contribution

concentration. Partnership with parents and carers is satisfactory, providing suitable consistency of care for children. Staff share curriculum information by pinning planning sheets on room notice boards. Parents feel their opinions are welcomed and used effectively as part of their child's care and learning programme. However, information available to parents on planned activities and children's progress does not include details of how children are working towards the early learning goals and Foundation Stage curriculum.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides. Children are cared for by suitably qualified staff who are appropriately vetted, due to effective recruitment procedures. Induction, training, policies and procedures work well in practice, ensuring the efficient and safe management of the nursery. Staff have a sound knowledge and understanding of child development, which enables them to meet children's individual needs appropriately, although further training is required to enable all staff work effectively to provide the Foundation Stage curriculum. Leadership and management of the nursery education is satisfactory. There is a commitment to develop the provision and the management have clear aims for the future. Some staff have received training in the Birth to Three Matters framework and the Foundation Stage curriculum; however, staff are not yet confident in these areas

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Organisation

and their use of planning and assessment to ensure all children are supported in reaching their full potential. Children make satisfactory progress in all areas of learning as the range and quality of toys and activities provided for children are good and staff interaction ensures children are involved in a good range of activities. However, the poor condition of the building and equipment in some areas of the setting has a detrimental effect on children's opportunities to enjoy a safe, stimulating and hygienic environment in which to learn.

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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

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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 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 the premises, toys and resources are maintained to a standard which ensures children's good hygiene at all times • increase toys resources and activities which develop children's awareness of a diverse society

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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): • ensure all staff consistently plan activities to promote children's learning across all areas • increase children's opportunities to read and write for a variety of purposes • ensure staff consistently plan activities to extend learning for older and more able children

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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 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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