Playdays Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 15/02/2005 Inspector Name John Edwin Warren

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Playdays Day Nursery & Nursery School Ltd Setting Address 100-102 Wimbledon Hill Road Wimbledon London SW19 7PB

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name Playdays Day Nursery & Nursery Schools Ltd. 2869418

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Playdays Day Nursery & Nursery Schools Ltd. Address 13 Barton Road London W14 9HB

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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

Playdays Day Nursery opened in September 2003. It operates from a completely refurbished building. There are 6 playrooms, 2 offices, children's cloakrooms, 2 kitchens, staff room and staff toilets. The nursery serves the local area. There are currently 76 children from 3 months to under 5 years on roll. This includes 5 funded three year olds. Children attend various sessions. The group supports a few children who have English as an additional language. The Nursery opens 5 days a week all year round. Sessions are from 08:00 until 18:00. 13 full time staff work with the children. Over half the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. The setting receives support from for the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership. The Pre-school room has Montessori equipment and uses both of the concepts from the Early Years to the Montessori.

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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?

Playdays Day Nursery offers good quality nursery education that helps children make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is generally good. There is good planning in place that clearly identifies learning intentions in each area of the curriculum. Planning is done on a monthly basis and includes a range of Montessori activities. Observations made of the children are valuable and clearly identify the developmental stage children are at and the next stage of their development. Resources are organised into defined areas, for example, maths and creative. Children are activily encouraged to self select their own play and learning experience. However organisation of staff within the room and inconsistency in behaviour management means that activities are sometimes disrupted, not allowing the children to complete their work. The staff interact well with the children and ask some open ended questions, however staff do

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How effective is the nursery education?

not always fully explore this and opportunities to expand on the activity can sometimes be missed. Leadership and management is generally good. The nursery is led by a strong manager who is very hands on. She leads by example and will often assist in the pre-school. She supports the staff team well thorough appraisal and staff meetings. There is an open door policy where staff can approach her at any time. There is a strong commitment for improvement through training and support. There is a form of assessment of strengths and weaknesses within the nursery, however this is not fully developed and does not clearly indicate plans for the future. Partnership with parents is very good. The nursery gives the parents very good feedback on the progress of their child. They are able to offer suggestions to the nursery which are listened to and acted upon. There is a good amount of valuable information passed onto parents in a written format.

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What is being done well?

• There are good opportunities for children to develop their mathematical skills. There is a defined area for maths which includes a range of Montessori activities. Maths is included in all areas of their play, for example, in the outdoor area there was a 10 green bottle activity and in the Valentines celebrations they counted up to 14. • Children have very good opportunities to be creative. They are provided with a role play room where they are free to act out a variety of complex storylines without any adult intervention. They are free to create and design use various tools and mediums. The creative area belongs very much to the children, some children plan what they are going to make. This area is valued for the journey of work carried out and not the end product.

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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 • Children have many opportunities to explore the written word. There is a large, comfortable and very inviting book corner that is filled with a variety of interesting and exciting books. Children are able to mark make in many areas. These mark making activities are available to them at all times. Children share the meaning of what they have written with staff and their peers. • There is very good partnerships with parents. Parents are able to approach staff members for information on their child's progress at any time. Parents are given a very warm welcome into the nursery. They are provided with information verbally by the staff team, progress reports, a notice board and an interest table that informs them how the nursery operates.

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What needs to be improved?

• the opportunities for children to fully explore information and communication technology on a regular basis. • the opportunities for more able children to be provided with a range of more challenging large physical activities. • the use of effective questioning from all staff members which encourages the children to fully explore each activity. • the consistency of behaviour management techniques and organisation of the staff team within the room.

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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 able to self select their own play and learning experiences. The more able children have a good understanding of how to use the Montessori equipment. Children are interested in the people within their community and the festivals they celebrate. Some children's behaviour is at times unacceptable and causes disruption to other children's concentration.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy opportunities to experiment with their writing skills. All children independently choose from a variety of pens and pencils to mark make. More able children are writing recognisable letters. They enjoy looking at books and recall many familiar stories in the correct sequence. They have an understanding of the sounds letters make and most children can sound out the letter of their first name.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are confident in their counting skills and have a good understanding of numbers beyond 10. They are able to name many two and three and dimensional shapes. They use mathematical language to describe size, shape and positions of objects. Maths is used by the children in many worthwhile activities to solve simple problems and compare numbers, for example, within the role play areas.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children show an interest in exploring the world around them. They share their experiences and discoveries with others. They have opportunities to look closely at and care for living things. They have good design and planning skills which they use within many areas of their play, for example, model making. Opportunities for children to expand on their activities are sometimes missed by staff. There are some opportunities for information and communication technology but these are limited.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children have a good realisation of the space around them. They move at speed between areas with no collisions. They are confident in using small hand held tools and understand the need for safety. They have good co-ordination, for example, they are able to kick balls in the direction they wish. The more able children are not sufficiently challenged in the area of large physical play.

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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: Very Good Children enjoy a wide range of imaginary play opportunities. They develop some complex story lines that mimic everyday situations. They move creatively to music and are able to beat out the rhythms of their favourite songs. They show a good awareness of changes to medias they are using, for example when paints are mixed. They enjoy opportunities to create freely from a wide range of recyclable materials, paints, glue paper and many other materials.

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Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is not 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 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: THE KEY ISSUES

• Provide more large physical play opportunities for the children that offer them challenge and stretches their ability. • Develop staff's consistency in dealing with behaviour management, ensuring that unacceptable behaviour is challenged quickly, effectively and sensitively, allowing other children to enjoy play without disruption. • Increase the amount of effective questioning in all areas of the children's play giving them the opportunity to expand and explore all activities fully. • Increase the amount of opportunities that children have to be involved in information and communication technology activities.

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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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