Balderton Village Day Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 18/11/2002 Inspector Name Ros Church

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SETTING DETAILS

Setting Name Balderton Village Day Nursery Setting Address 173 London Road Newark Nottinghamshire NG24 3BW

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ABOUT THE INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public that the nursery education for funded three and four year old children is of an acceptable quality. Inspection of nursery education also identifies strengths and weaknesses so that providers can improve the quality of educational provision and help children to achieve the early learning goals (elgs) by the end of the Foundation Stage. This inspection report must be made available to all parents. If the setting has been inspected previously, an action plan will have been drawn up to tackle issues identified. This inspection, therefore, must also assess what progress has been made in the implementation of this plan.

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Information about the setting

Balderton Village Day Nursery is a privately owned day nursery, it opened in November 1994, and in 1999 moved to the current premises. It operates from a converted detached bungalow in Balderton, close to Newark. Children are organised into age/ability groups, the outdoor play space consists of two separate areas of a garden and hard surfaced area . The nursery is registered to provide 39 places for children under eight years. There are currently over 70 children on the register, this includes 14 children of either three or four years of age who receive Nursery Education funding. Children with special needs are represented amongst them. They receive support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, 7 am to 6 pm, throughout the year. The majority of staff hold Early Years Qualifications and access further training.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Balderton Village Day Nursery offers good quality provision, which helps the children to make generally good progress towards the Early Learning Goals. Teaching is generally good with some very good aspects. Staff have high expectations of the children's behaviour, which is reinforced by providing encouragement and praise. Staff showed a good understanding of the early learning goals and demonstrated a commitment to updating their knowledge of the foundation stage. Positive relationships between the staff and the children have been formed, with staff showing a good understanding of children's individual needs and providing for these. Planning of activities shows how the six areas of learning will be addressed and what the children will learn. An assessment system is used to check out and record children's progress towards the early learning goals. Some activities/questions lack increasing challenge and extension for more able children. The nursery effectively

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How effective is the nursery education?

supports children with special educational needs. They demonstrated a sound understanding of the code of Practice, the need to work in partnership with parents and to liase with other agencies. Leadership and management of the provision is very good. The nursery benefits from the strong leadership of the manager and effective team working of the staff. A commitment to providing opportunities for staff development is in place, which in turn will benefit the provision for the children. Methods are used to monitor and evaluate the provision for nursery education. The partnership with parents and carers is very good and benefits children's progress. Opportunities are made for parents to contribute to their children's learning and they regularly informally discuss with staff their child's progress. Parents are well informed about the nursery's routines and activities, and are encouraged to provide resources from home to support the nursery topic.

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What is being done well?

Children's personal, social and emotional development is very good. They are confident within the group and have formed good relationships with the staff and their peers. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour, this is fostered through the praise and encouragement they offer. Children's listening skills are progressing well. They have developed an enjoyment of books, which is encouraged through the telling of stories. Children's spoken language is developing well. They learn how to negotiate and share with their peers.

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What needs to be improved?

More able children's independence in recognising and writing their own name and familiar words. Staffs understanding of the activities and questioning provided for more able children.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The nursery has made good progress since the last inspection. A number of improvements have been implemented, these have benefited the provision and the progress which children make. Resources have been purchased and additional activities have been planned which encourage the children's development towards the early learning goals. The nursery has moved into new premises and now have a designated room for pre-school children.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Personal, social and emotional development is very good. Children are developing in confidence and this is encouraged by staff, through offering praise and encouragement. Children have formed positive relationships with the staff and their peers. They were involved in activities which developed their social skills, such as turn taking and negotiating skills. The children listen well and concentrate in a group, are confident to share their experiences and question.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Communication, language and literacy is generally good, children engage in conversation with adults and peers, showing confidence when instigating these. Their listening skills are developing very well, they actively listen to each other during group times when discussing personal experiences. Although children have the opportunity to develop their writing skills some of the activities offered a lack of challenge for more able children in independently writing and recognising their own name.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Mathematical development is generally good, children are able to count beyond ten, and recognise numerals up to ten. Children confidently use numbers in the environment, and spontaneously in daily activities both individually and as a group. Although mathematical language is used within the setting this was not extended sufficiently for the more able children. Planned activities enables the children to explore and develop their awareness of shape and size.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Knowledge and understanding of the world is generally good. Children are developing their knowledge and understanding of the world well. Opportunities are provided for the children to experience their environment and this develops their understanding of the local community. Staff initiated activities with the children, introducing the concept of change and encouraging the children to make predictions of end results and describing their actions.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Physical development is generally good, this area has many strengths. Whilst in the outdoor area children were encouraged to learn about their bodies, and identify changes which occur and the reasons why. The children were involved in physical exercises, and encouraged to move imaginatively, following which they identified that they now felt warm. Children move confidently and safely in the environment. They demonstrate an awareness of themselves and others.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Creative Development is generally good. Children are making good progress in this area, they are provided with opportunities to participate in creative activities such as dough and sand play. However, opportunities were missed for children to select their own materials when engaged in some creative activities. Children make good use of role play games, which are based on their own experiences. Children enjoy acting out situations using props imaginatively.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is fostered appropriately: Y

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OUTCOME OF THE INSPECTION

The provision is acceptable and is of good quality overall. Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. The next inspection will take place in three to four years time.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

Develop children's literacy skills by extending all opportunities for the more able children to write and recognise their names and other familiar words. Extend staffs knowledge and understanding of providing more challenging activities and questioning for more able children.

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