Dicky Birds Pre School Nurseries Ltd – Dundonald Road

Dicky Birds Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Dicky Birds Nursery

Unique Reference Number EY229780 Inspection date 03 May 2006 Inspector Gillian Cubitt

p.1

Dicky Birds Nursery

Setting Address 52a Dundonald Road, Wimbledon, London, SW19 3PH

p.1

Dicky Birds Nursery

Telephone number 020 8942 5779 E-mail headchick@dickybirds.co.uk Registered person Dicky Birds Ltd Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

p.1

Dicky Birds Nursery

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Dicky Birds Day Nursery is 1 of a small group of nurseries in the London area. It opened in 2002 and operates from purpose built premises, comprising of 2 main play rooms, reception, plus a small room in an adapted building in the outside play area. There is also a kitchen and staff facilities. The nursery is situated in the Wimbledon area opposite Dundonald park. The nursery is open from 08.00 to 18.00 for 51 weeks of the year. Part-time and wrap around care is also available. Children have access

p.2

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 to a fully enclosed play area. The nursery is registered to care for a maximum of 40 children; of these, 7 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local community. The nursery supports children with special needs and children who have English as an additional language. The nursery employs 21 staff who work with the children. Of these, 13 are full-time and 8 are part-time. There are 10 members of staff with early years qualifications, plus there are 4 members of staff currently attending training programmes. The nursery receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP)and the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

p.2

Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's health is actively promoted. Children thrive because staff follow effective procedures and practices which meet their health, physical and nutritional needs. They are protected from illness and infection because the environment is always kept clean. Babies play on soft, washable mats which staff keep to a good standard, although at present there is no procedure for removing shoes when coming into to this area from outside. Staff support the children and act as good role models, helping them to develop a positive awareness and understanding of health issues and an eagerness to become increasingly independent in their personal care. Children learn about adopting good procedures through well planned and established daily routines. For example, children wash their hands after using the toilet, before eating, handling the guinea pig and after messy play, which prevents germs from

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

spreading. Staff wear aprons throughout the day and use disposable gloves when changing nappies which further prevents the spread of infection. Clean surfaces are constantly maintained because staff use antibacterial spray after use. Children are well cared for if they become ill, as there are always adequate members of staff present who have a knowledge of first aid. All staff know the procedures to follow if medication is administered or accidents occur. Children benefit from a healthy diet. Drinks are on offer throughout the day, with older children able to help themselves. All children enjoy a wide variety of fruit at snack time and this is adapted for babies. Main meals are carefully prepared by the in-house cook, who provides the children with well balanced fresh food each day, which children look forward to and thoroughly enjoy. All children's diets are carefully noted and double checked by the cook and staff, to ensure that children's allergies

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

and/or parental preferences are observed. Planned activities also develop children's understanding of the importance of maintaining a healthy life style. Children enjoy a varied range of physical activities on a daily basis that contributes to their good health and which helps them to develop control and co-ordination of their

p.3

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 bodies. Staff have a sound understanding of each child's stage of development and the varied apparatus outside provides appropriate challenges for children. For example, younger children begin to climb on small cubes and slides whilst older children make effective use of the larger slide and ropes. Older children also look forward to their weekly swimming sessions. Babies have regular access to daily fresh air, making use of the outside soft play area. All children enjoy outings which include visiting the local park. All children are able to rest, according to their needs. Home sleep routines for babies are followed to maintain consistency. Staff use the key working system and the Birth to three matters framework to observe and develop a caring environment where babies feel secure and happy.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are warmly welcomed and greeted into the safe and inviting environment. They use a wide range of play resources and equipment, appropriate to their age and stage of development, all of which conform to safety requirements. All play areas are creatively set out, giving children freedom to move around and explore. Older children move confidently and independently between rooms and young babies have ample space to crawl safely. Appropriate play items and resources are made easily accessible to children, stored at child height on shelves or placed on mats on the floor. This provides children with freedom of choice and helps develop their independence. Safety is given a priority to protect children. Access to the building is by intercom entry only. Visitors are asked to sign in and identity is thoroughly checked. Staff carry out rigorous risk assessments each day, which minimises children's risks of

p.4

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

accidental injury. Outside play areas are made safe with rubber safety surfaces and staff are vigilant in their supervision, especially when children play on the large slide and ropes. Children become aware of their own safety as they learn to wait for children to leave the bottom of the slide before they follow down. Fire drills are undertaken on a regular basis and details are recorded. Safe procedures are in place for outings and visits, for example, children are issued with 'outing' stickers to show that they are a member of a group and children are made aware of the need to stay close together. Regular and ongoing communication with parents also contributes to children's safety. Children are protected as the child protection co-ordinator has an understanding of her role. She ensures that the policy and procedures are up-to-date and staff are informed of their responsibilities, although not all staff are totally confident in all

p.4

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 Children enjoy their time at the nursery. They progress well because staff effectively use their expertise of child development, combined with their developing understanding of early years guidance, such as Birth to three matters and the curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage. They plan a wide range of activities which excite and stimulate children's natural curiosity and desire to explore. Children arrive happily at the setting. Babies and toddlers are secure, settled and have strong positive bonds with their key workers that increase their sense of well-being and belonging. Babies benefit from routines, consistent with their experiences at home, for example, sleeping and feeding times. They develop early communication skills because staff are sensitive to their needs when babies attract

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

staff's attention who then respond to their sounds and smiles during play. Babies enjoy experiences that involve using their senses of touch and sound. They are encouraged to move to explore the toys around them. They smile at their reflection in the mirror and delight as they create sounds with interactive toys. All children benefit from the individual care and attention they receive at the nursery. They are listened to and are made to feel special, which increases their confidence and makes them secure when learning new skills. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a good knowledge of the Foundation Stage curriculum and plan a wide range of activities which fully covers the six areas of learning. Children benefit from staff's flexible approach, which includes a healthy balance between adult and child led activities and allows children to develop at their own pace. A key worker system is effective as it ensures staff

p.5

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

constantly monitor children's progress in the form of written observations. These are regularly maintained with many observational notes kept in children's personal files under each area of learning. These provide clear information on what children do but do not always give specific information on the children's strengths and weaknesses in line with the stepping stones and what challenges they need to enable them to progress. Children show a strong sense of belonging and develop good self-esteem. They see their work on the walls and enjoy looking at their photographs in the library. Independence is promoted as children are permitted to choose their activities and they are encouraged to be proud of their environment by helping to put toys away to make the nursery tidy. They communicate very well and this is extended with activities such as 'show and tell', where children are given time to talk about items

p.5

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

that they bring from home. Children have fun playing together. A particular strength is the layout and organisation of the nursery as this fully encourages children's freedom in their play. There is a wide variety of appropriate and well chosen resources that offer challenge, stimulation and supports their learning across all areas of development. They use their hands to mould clay and play dough, they create their own pictures and become animated when they discover that wet paper sticks to walls. Children learn about people who help us and use their imagination in their creativity as they dress up in fire fighters and police officers uniforms and develop their own police station where they make use of technology with calculators and telephones. All children recognise that print has meaning and they enjoy looking at

p.5

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 books and having stories read to them. They see their first names which are on the walls in the play area and they begin to recognise their full name as they see it when they hang up their coats. Children also have plenty of opportunities to write, using various media such as crayons, pencils and paints. Children's physical development is promoted both inside and outside. Large climbing apparatus inside and ropes and slides outside, together with bikes, scooters and other resources not only increases children's confidence in learning new skills as well as aiding their physical development and balance and co-ordination. This is further enhanced by weekly swimming sessions for older children. Children organise their thoughts whilst counting. They spontaneously point to numbers and start to count

p.5

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and children ask their friends to help them. They are made aware of different shapes as they see these displayed in the nursery and they are able to associate these with everyday items, such as noticing hoops make a circle and balls are round. Children's wonder of the natural world is enhanced by growing seeds and plants in pots and they learn to care for their pet guinea pig. The children also participate in various fund raising for charities which helps them to appreciate the needs of others.

p.6

Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are welcomed and valued as individuals. Their achievements are recognised by staff who are knowledgeable and supportive. There are good systems in place to care for children with special needs. Resources and teaching are adapted and the necessary staff support is provided to ensure that they are able to participate fully. Children gain a sense of belonging to their immediate community through visits to their local park, taking part in various fund raising events and visiting the local children's theatre. They also learn about the wider world through topic work, such as cultural festivals and from playing with resources that represent positive images of society. Children behave well throughout the nursery. Staff support young children in sharing and turn taking and have a positive approach to behaviour management. Children are well occupied and they learn to negotiate with others and take responsibility for

p.6

Helping children make a positive contribution

their own actions and behaviour. The system of taking 'Buddy' (the nursery cuddly toy) home makes children feel special and encourages them to be responsible in their caring. This positive approach fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The partnership with parents is outstanding and significantly contributes to the children's well-being at the nursery. Parents of older children are involved in their children's education in every possible way. Through pre-planned parents evenings, they learn the process and aims of planning under the curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage. Also, staff share planning with the parents and communicate this through the notice boards, newsletters and daily communication with staff. Parents also have regular consultations where they discuss their children's individual progress. Parents' views and involvement are fully encouraged. They share work

p.6

Helping children make a positive contribution

experiences with the staff and children as well as accompany them on visits to the

p.6

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 local theatre. Children receive maximum benefit from the strong partnership the nursery has with their parents.

p.6

Organisation

The organisation is good. Children's care and learning is enhanced by the good quality of organisation with the nursery. The rooms are well set out and appropriately structured to the different ages and stages of development of the children. The use of the reception for registration and story time however is not always appropriate because the flow of visitors causes interruption for the children. In the main rooms, resources and activities are easily accessible. Indoor and outdoor space is attractively and creatively arranged to maximise play opportunities for children. Standards of hygiene are good, although outdoor shoes are permitted in the area where babies crawl, which may impact on children's health. Staff work well together as a team, are keen, interested and clear as to their roles and responsibilities. They are effectively deployed, ensuring that all children are supported in their play which promotes their well-being. Staff are

p.7

Organisation

encouraged to take further training, such as Birth to three matters to update their skills in caring for babies and young children. Not all staff however, have a thorough understanding of child protection. The required documentation, together with the operational plan, plus a complete file of policies and procedures is available for both staff and parents. All of these contribute to children's health, safety and protection. The provider meets the needs of the range of children for whom they provide. Leadership and management are good. The providers fully support the manager of the nursery and her staff. The manager ensures that staff have a good understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum and on-going training opportunities help staff to increase this knowledge, although the next steps in learning for individual children are not always clearly documented. Overall, however staff make the best use of their

p.7

Organisation

skills to support children in their learning and development. There is a clear vision for the future and this is helped by the providers and manager identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the setting which contribute to children's learning. Children further benefit from motivated and dedicated staff who receive effective induction to the nursery and are supported by on-going supervision and annual appraisals. Staff are all involved in planning and meet regularly to reflect and monitor the quality of the care and education children receive.

p.7

Improvements since the last inspection

The last Children Act inspection recommended that the nursery improve some aspects of safety by developing an on-going risk assessment of the premises. Managers have produced a comprehensive risk assessment and staff are encouraged to constantly be aware of safety aspects in their working areas, to ensure the safety of children at all times. Managers implement formal risk assessments, stating possible hazards and prioritising them according to the impact on children's safety. The education at the nursery continues to be good and since the last inspection the

p.7

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 staff have introduced more interactive technology, mainly in the form of calculators.

p.7

Complaints 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. Since the last Care Standards inspection there has been one complaint under National Standards 2 and 12, relating to students on work experience, caring for children. The provider conducted an internal investigation and, as a result made changes to their policy and procedures for students who wish to gain experience by working in the nursery. This information is fully shared with parents and ensures children are safeguarded. The provider remains suitable for registration.

p.8

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.8

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.

p.8

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

p.8

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): • develop all staff's knowledge of child protection to ensure that they fully understand their responsibilities • ensure areas were babies crawl are kept clean by encouraging staff and visitors to remove or cover shoes • re-organise registration and story time for older children in the reception area, so that interruptions from visitors are minimised

p.8

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): • further develop staff's knowledge of the foundation stage so that observations made on children are followed through with an action plan for their next area of development

p.8

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

p.8

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

p.9