Tiny Turners Nursery

Tiny Turners Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Tiny Turners Nursery

Unique Reference Number EY103781 Inspection date 27 June 2006 Inspector Donna Suzanne Lancaster / Elizabeth Patricia Edmond

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Tiny Turners Nursery

Setting Address 68 Darlington Road, Hartburn, Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, TS18 5ER Telephone number 01642 581281

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E-mail

Registered person Karen Marie Clark 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?

Tiny Turners Day Nursery and Out of School club opened in January 2002. It is privately owned and is located in Hartburn, Stockton-on-Tees. The premises consist of seven rooms where children are cared for in age-appropriate groups. The facility has a kitchen, toilets, staff facilities and a reception area. There is a fully enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery serves the local and wider community, providing full day care for a

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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 maximum of 100 children under eight years of age. There are currently 122 children on roll, of which eight are in receipt of nursery education funding. The nursery offers care for children with learning disabilities. There are 21 members of staff working with the children on a full and part-time basis. 17 staff are qualified and five are currently working towards a higher qualification. Opening times are from 07.30 until 18.00 Monday to Friday throughout the year with the exception of Bank Holidays and one week at Christmas. The setting receives support from a teacher/mentor from the local authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children's physical development is supported well, with opportunities to use outdoor equipment each day. Children climb up and down stairs well as they access the outdoor play area. All children enjoy a varied range of outdoor activities, which support and help to develop their physical skills. They regularly use the outdoor area, where they skilfully manoeuvre bikes and other wheeled resources. Children move with control and coordination, they can successfully negotiate obstacles and move around the environment safely and are beginning to respect each others' space. Older children become aware of their own bodies; they learn how to feel their heart beat when this occurs in a story. The programme for dance and music and movement further promotes their physical skills. Satisfactory standards of hygiene and cleanliness are maintained throughout the nursery to promote children's health. A cleaner is employed and staff implement

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Helping children to be healthy

efficient daily cleaning routines. They ensure they adhere to their nappy changing policies, as they wash their hands, use disposable gloves and aprons and dispose of nappies appropriately to minimise the risk of cross-infection. Highchairs and tables used at mealtimes are cleaned and disinfected before use and all other equipment and resources are kept in a satisfactory condition. Older children learn about their own health; they know that if they do not wash their hands they might get a ‘poorly tummy’ because the staff help them to think about this in ways that they can understand. However, staff do not always give clear explanations to the younger children to further develop their understanding of healthy practices. Appropriate measures are taken if a child is ill and parents are clearly informed that children cannot attend when they have infectious illnesses Children benefit from a healthy diet. Menus are clearly displayed and basic written

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Helping children to be healthy

details given to parents to inform them of what food has been offered that day. Children enjoy fresh fruit at snack times and can help themselves from the fruit and vegetable sample table which is situated at the entrance of the nursery. Children have access to fresh drinking water during the day and babies are offered drinks regularly to ensure they do not remain thirsty. At lunch time the pre-school children confidently serve themselves, whilst some of the younger children have to wait for food to be cut up and cooled. As a result, some children become unhappy and tired.

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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 Staff do not always explain or model how to use their cutlery properly or to eat their ham and salad wraps properly. Staff have begun to use the Birth to three matters guidance to provide a range of physical play experiences for children under three.

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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 and secure environment. Staff ensure that children are not at risk from unauthorised adults by checking identification and operating a strict signing in and out system for all visitors. The environment is warm and welcoming to children and families. There are attractive displays of children's work and information for parents throughout the nursery. Fire evacuation procedures are displayed and emergency evacuation procedures are practised regularly so that the children know how to get out of the building in an emergency and know where to go to stay safe. Staff monitor the premises daily and take effective steps to minimise risks so that children are protected from potential hazards. For example, they are unable to access electrical sockets and safety gates prevent them from accessing the stairs. Older children learn to keep themselves safe as staff involve them in discussions and

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

teach them safe practice. For example, older children are involved in developing the out of school rules. The younger children know that they need to hold on to the hand rail as they come downstairs and they put any carried items into the other hand. All children who attend the nursery and the out of school club are encouraged to tidy away toys as they finish with them to keep the areas free from clutter. The pre-school children learn about keeping themselves safe in the outdoor area. For example, the level of risk is balanced effectively with the level of supervision. This means that they learn to go up and down the slope on the tricycles and they learn not to run in front of the swing. Children use a range of resources, which are safely accessible for them to access independently. They move around freely and safely as they develop their own play activities. Children are cared for by staff who give high priority to protecting children and

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

keeping them safe; staff have a sound understanding of child protection procedures in line with the Local Safeguarding Children's Board procedures and are aware of their roles and responsibilities.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children enjoy their time at the nursery and they arrive happy and settle well. Staff work sufficiently well together to meet children's needs. However, the routines and timetabling for various areas, whilst sometimes necessary, do not fully meet the

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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 individual needs of the children and interrupt the children’s play and learning. For example, the sleep regime in the toddler room is not always necessary for all children and sometimes the children do not want to play out when it is their turn. Staff are sensitive in their handling and give lots of praise and encouragement to help promote children's self-esteem. Although babies and younger children enjoy and are interested in a suitable range of developmentally appropriate play equipment, there is no domestic style furniture to aid their mobility and to carry on their normal life experiences. Staff are aware of the Birth to three matters framework, they are building on and developing their confidence with the framework and how to use it effectively to fully support children and plan for their next steps. For example, the staff meet together to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

plan a range of activities for children and they have developed their own assessment books and regularly complete these to show what children can do. All children enjoy good relationships with the staff and approach them confidently. They relate generally well to their peers and are beginning to socialise. Younger children's communication and language skills are beginning to develop and they enthusiastically join in with familiar stories, songs and rhymes. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. The staff in the pre-school room are beginning to develop an effective balance of child-led and adult-led learning. They provide a good range of free choice activities for parts of the day and they support the children’s learning suitably by using informal conversational questioning techniques. They help them to think about how many animals there would be with one more and they encourage the children to recount previous experiences or how

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the clay feels. The programme of training and development is beginning to influence their planning and their practice. The newly established system for assessing the children’s level of attainment is taking shape and is beginning to show how this is influencing the short term activity plans. The interesting garden provides various stimulating learning opportunities, but these are not maximised for the children. The children concentrate much better on their play in the outdoor environment and behave very well, but this time is currently used mainly for physical development and there are missed opportunities to promote development and understanding in other areas of learning. The staff sometimes create periods of calm, purposeful play and learning. However, the children become unsettled from time to time; this is usually as they have to wait in preparation for going outdoors, coming in, group time or lunch.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children come into the pre-school happily; they confidently find their photo for the self-registration system. They begin to take responsibility for themselves. They help to set the table for lunch and are proud of the stickers they receive for tidying up and they tip toe past the baby room as they go outside to play so as not to wake the babies. They happily link up with peers for help or guidance. For example, they help each other to wash and dry their feet after an impromptu foot printing activity. The children develop their counting skills satisfactorily and they begin to recognise

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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 familiar numbers. The children learn about more and less as they join in with well known number rhymes. Sometimes the children spontaneously use the interesting number rhyme resources to count backwards from five to one. They use simple mathematical language as they play. The children’s pre-writing skills are satisfactory and some children can name their initial letter. Some know that it is Wednesday because an adult says that it starts with ‘W.’ The children learn to use their pre-writing skills to label their own work and some write their names clearly. The staff sensibly acknowledge when confidence is more important than pencil skills. The staff work hard to help the children to listen carefully, this means that they are able to enjoy books and stories. The children do not often

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

use the book corner without direction but they handle the books well which are strategically placed in the home corner or by the water. The children show an interest in the world around them. They talk about how the spiders appeared in the viewing box. They learn about people in the local environment; some talk very knowledgeably about their recent visit to the police and fire stations. The children investigate using their senses and use simple language to describe how the clay feels or the lumpy play dough. The children are beginning to learn about other cultures and most know some simple words in French. They develop their fine motor skills, for example, by cutting around their pictures and making patterns with the coloured pegs. The children are developing their confidence in their creative play; they enjoy involving the adults as part of their role play. They respond freely to what they are experiencing. They are interested in the clay and enjoy how it feels. They then notice

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

that they can make hand prints and foot prints, using the clay as paint. Some children work quietly for some time on their collage work. They confidently help themselves to the interesting range of materials. The children sing well known songs from memory and join in enthusiastically with musical instruments as part of an impromptu music and movement session. They enjoy the dance teacher’s regular visits.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are happy and settled. They are welcomed by staff and activities are set up for their arrival. There is a clear equal opportunities policy in place. Planned activities are undertaken and resources are available reflecting other cultures and races. This helps increase children's awareness of diversity and develop a positive attitude to others. This fosters children's spiritual moral, social and cultural development. The group has a clear Learning Disabilities statement and the named coordinator has completed relevant training. Children with learning disabilities are included in all play and learning opportunities and the staff link with other agencies to make sure they are consistent in their approach to their needs. Pre-school children are generally well behaved and are beginning to share and take turns. Children receive praise for positive behaviour. The staff sometimes create

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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 periods of calm, purposeful play and learning. However, the younger children become unsettled from time to time; this is usually as they have to wait in preparation for going outdoors, coming in, group time, lunch or if having to sit for sometimes too long. Children in the after school club show care and concern for each other and play harmoniously together. Clear boundaries are established by staff according to children's level of understanding. As a result, children are becoming aware of the routines and procedures and know what is expected of them. Partnership with parents and carers is satisfactory and relationships are positive throughout the nursery. New strategies for communicating with parents on various levels are working well. The parents value the daily diary and have their views sought

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Helping children make a positive contribution

through questionnaires. The provider has been successful in implementing improvements suggested by parents. Information about the Foundation Stage for children’s learning is beginning to filter through to most parents and the topic plans are displayed for them. The pre-school home-nursery book is beginning to be effective in communicating with parents about aspects of care and learning. However, there is still a greater focus on care within this rather than the nursery education.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The nursery environment is organised appropriately to promote children's welfare. Children are cared for by an enthusiastic team of staff who have a commitment to developing the facility. There is a key worker system in place and adult-to-child ratios are correctly maintained. Most staff have a relevant childcare qualification and attend regular training including first aid to develop their practice. Required policies and procedures which are required for the safe and efficient management of the provision are in place and shared effectively with parents. However, some accident records have not been signed by parents and they have received a copy of the accident record. All staff currently employed at the setting have been appropriately vetted, effective deployment of staff allows children to receive good supervision. This ensures their safety and makes them feel secure.

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Organisation

The leadership and management is satisfactory. The pre-school staff are beginning to work well as a team. There have been staff changes but suitable measures have provided continuity for the children. The staff are beginning to evaluate the educational provision and have welcomed the support of the local authority in respect of this. The group have had support from the local authority in several areas. The physical arrangement of the pre-school environment has been particularly successful and guidance on working with children with learning disabilities has been useful. Some children are confident in the regular routines which have some benefits and are sometimes necessary, for example, they gather as a group for a session with a French teacher and the layout of the premises means that they need to go outdoors as a group. However, the group activities throughout the day interrupt the children’s play and learning and some find it difficult to concentrate during longer group

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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 The setting’s approach to development is currently a strength. They have acted promptly on actions raised at their last inspection. They have involved the local authority and the views of parents in their development plans. This vigilant approach to progression and development is recent. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the children who attend.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the provider was asked to: ensure rigorous cleaning procedures were in place and staff were made aware of the importance of good hygiene routines; to improve the provision of suitable resources in each area; to improve the staff's knowledge and understanding of the needs of children under three years and provide appropriate activities and play opportunities to promote their welfare and development. Staff have attended training on the Birth to three matters framework and are now beginning to implement it. This has enabled them to develop their knowledge and understanding of the needs of children under three years and to provide appropriate activities and play opportunities to promote their welfare and development. The nursery have introduced new cleaning rotas for all areas in the nursery and reviewed the hygiene policy. Internal training on cleaning procedures in staff meetings has been introduced and

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Improvements since the last inspection

new decoration and flooring is now in place. Nursery Education Since the last inspection in which the nursery education was judged to be inadequate, the group have taken serious steps to answer the three actions raised. A training programme has been introduced to improve the staff’s knowledge of the Foundation Stage for children’s learning; this is already having a positive impact on the quality of teaching and learning. The nursery has sought guidance from the local authority on how to monitor the children’s learning to evaluate the overall educational provision. This is beginning to be effective in providing sufficient challenge as to what the children can achieve. Guidance and support has also been sought in the inclusion of children with special needs and this is now working well.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Ofsted has received one complaint since the last inspection. The provision was contacted by the Complaints, Investigation and Enforcement Team regarding Standard 11 - Behaviour Management. The provision submitted a satisfactory provider investigation report and the case was concluded on 30/07/2004. The provision remained qualified for registration.

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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 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): • continue to monitor the strategies for behaviour management and identify triggers for unsettled behaviour; revise routines or strategies as appropriate. (also applies to nursery education) • further increase the children’s enjoyment of meal times by explaining or modelling how to use cutlery properly (also applies to nursery education) • ensure babies and young children can access some domestic style furniture to assist their mobility and continue with normal life experiences • ensure all babies and young children's individual needs are fully met, for example, individual sleep patterns • ensure all parents sign record of accidents.

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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 monitor vigorously the effectiveness of the educational provision by using the new planning and assessment system to meet the children’s individual needs • develop the routines and the garden activities to provide increased free play opportunities for children in all areas of learning.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and

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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 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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