Toad Hall Nursery Felcott Road

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 21/01/2005 Inspector Name Deborah Jaqueline Newbury

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Toad Hall Nursery Setting Address Felcott Road Walton-on-Thames Surrey KT12 5NS

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Careroom Ltd Address 3rd Floor, Wembley Point 1 Harrow Road Wembley Middlesex HA9 6DE

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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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

Toad Hall Nursery, Walton opened in 2001. It is one of sixteen nurseries owned by the Careroom Ltd chain of private day nurseries. The nursery operates from a purpose built building situated in a residential area of Walton on Thames, Surrey. Children are accommodated in age related base rooms and have access to an enclosed garden area for outside play. The nursery accepts children from three months to under five years of age. There are currently 99 children on role, of these 24 receive nursery education funding. The nursery supports children with special needs and those who speak English as an additional language. Children may attend for a variety of sessions and most come from the local community. The nursery opens five days a week (Monday to Friday) from 08:00 to 18:00 for 51 weeks of the year. It is closed for Bank Holidays and a week at Christmas. Nineteen members of staff work with the children. Of these, ten hold relevant early years

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Information about the setting

qualifications and three are on training courses. Ten members of staff hold current first aid certificates. The setting receives support from the Early Years and Childcare Service (EYCS) and is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance (PLA) and the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA).

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Information about the setting

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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How effective is the nursery education?

The provision of nursery education at Toad Hall Nursery is acceptable but has significant areas for improvement. Children's progress towards the Early Learning Goals is limited by some significant weaknesses. There are significant weaknesses in the quality of teaching. Staff working with funded children are new to the pre-school room and are in the process of establishing themselves as a team and gaining awareness of their role. They are caring and enjoy good relationships with children, which means children are happy and secure. Staff's management of children and their behaviour is mostly effective although some less confident staff find it difficult on occasions to retain control. Staff lack understanding of the Early Learning Goals and some are unclear of their role in supporting children's learning. This means that they do not present some activities well, they miss opportunities to extend children across all areas of the curriculum

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How effective is the nursery education?

and some activities lack sufficient challenge. The quality of adult interaction with children is variable. Planning, observation and assessment procedures are not effective although sampling of available records show that the nursery is beginning to make some progress with these. There are suitable procedures to support children with special needs. Leadership and management are generally good. The management team is very aware of shortfalls within the existing provision and displays a positive attitude and a desire to improve the quality of its provision. They have identified areas for development using self-evaluation and are working towards addressing these. Strategies include training for staff, ongoing support from the nursery manager and further development of its partnership with parents. Partnership with parents is generally good. Parents are well informed about the nursery and its provision. They receive information about their child's progress

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How effective is the nursery education?

through informal discussion, termly reports and meetings with keyworkers.

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What is being done well?

• Children are accommodated in a nicely presented environment, both inside and out. The use of labelling, both in words and pictures helps children gain awareness that print carries meaning and aids their independent identification and selection of those resources stored on open shelving units. • Children's imaginative play is very well developed. They freely explore the role-play area and act out stories based on their real-life experiences, such as going on holiday or on videos they have seen. • Children gain good self-help and independence skills and practice and improve co-ordination, for example as they pour their own drinks and put on and take off outdoor shoes and coats.

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What is being done well?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 • The nursery provides opportunities for parents to be involved in their children's learning via the newly introduced home/nursery link scheme whereby parents are given ideas for activities they may wish to undertake with their children at home to develop their understanding of topics covered at nursery. The use of "Travelling Ted" where children are invited to take a teddy on holiday with them and complete a diary in words or pictures, with their parents' help, also offers opportunities for them to share in their children's learning.

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What needs to be improved?

• staff's understanding of the Early Learning Goals and their role in supporting children's learning across all areas of the curriculum • continued development and use of planning, observation and assessment procedures • opportunities for children to count, consolidate their understanding of mathematical concepts and develop problem solving skills • opportunities for children to explore writing for a purpose and to develop phonic awareness • opportunities and encouragement for children to express their own ideas and respond to experiences using their senses and access to relevant resources to enhance their learning and exploration in the areas of knowledge and understanding of the world and creativity.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are confident and sociable. They enjoy good relationships with each other and form trusting relationships with staff. They play together well, take turns and share. Their behaviour is mostly good. They have good self-help and independence skills although staff miss opportunities to develop these skills further. Children are curious and enjoy themselves. They make their own decisions about what they wish to do from some easily accessible resources.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children are confident speakers but some staff do not effectively support their developing skills as they do not engage in conversation with them, for example at snacktime. They explore books and enjoy stories when these are well told. They recognise their written names. Some children show interest in writing their names but staff do not adopt a consistent approach to this. There is insufficient opportunity for children to explore writing for a purpose and to develop phonic awareness.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Poor Children recognise written numerals. They learn number names and recite these by rote. Some children use appropriate mathematical language during their play as they talk about size and position. They recognise some shapes and sort and match by colour. Staff do not use practical activities, number rhymes or opportunities that arise as part of the daily routine to encourage children to count, consolidate their understanding of mathematical concepts and develop problem solving skills.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children are keen to talk about events in their own lives such as going on holiday. Some children independently operate the computer. They find out about the world in which we live through topic work and stories and enjoy design and making activities but staff do not always ensure children have access to relevant resources to enhance their learning and support their creations. They help care for the goldfish and plants in the classroom but staff miss opportunities to develop this further.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children carefully move around indoors and outside, with good spatial awareness. They use the climbing frame and slide safely and control bikes and cars well. They avoid collisions, change direction and adjust speed. Staff supervise children well but their lack of interaction in their outdoor play means that children do not develop or extend their skills. They use tools, materials and small equipment with increasing control. They understand when and why they need to wash their hands.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children have a repertoire of songs and rhymes. They sing from memory and some have the confidence to suggest songs they wish to sing. They enjoy imaginative play tremendously and choose to spend a lot of time in the role play area. They explore the different forms of media and materials presented to them although there is not always a wide range available. A lack of input from staff does not always encourage them to express their own ideas and respond to experiences using their senses.

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

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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OUTCOME OF THE INSPECTION

The provision is acceptable but has some significant areas for improvement. Children's progress towards the early learning goals is limited by some significant weaknesses. The next inspection will take place in one to two years time.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• develop staff's understanding of the Early Learning Goals and their role in supporting children's learning across all areas of the curriculum • continue to develop planning, observation and assessment procedures to ensure that observations and assessment of children's progress is regularly carried out to identify their future learning needs and that activities are sufficiently challenging for children • strengthen the programme for mathematical development by making use of practical activities, number rhymes and opportunities that arise as part of the daily routine to encourage children to count, consolidate their understanding of mathematical concepts and develop problem solving skills • strengthen the programme for communication, language and literacy by providing opportunities for children to explore writing for a purpose and to develop phonic awareness • strengthen the programmes for knowledge and understanding of the world

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

and creativity by providing opportunities and encouragement for children to express their own ideas and respond to experiences using their senses and access to relevant resources to enhance their learning and exploration in the areas of knowledge and understanding of the world and creativity.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

The provider must draw up an action plan within 40 working days of receipt of this report showing how the key issues detailed above will be addressed. The action plan must be made available to all parents and to the Local Authority if required. An evaluation of the action taken will form part of the next inspection of funded nursery education.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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