Noah's Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 22/03/2005 Inspector Name Joan Isabel Madden

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Noah's Nursery Setting Address 19 Crossfield Road Handforth Wilmslow SK9 3LN

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REGISTERED PROVIDER 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

Noah's Day Nursery is privately owned and has been registered since 1989. It operates from a converted house in the centre of Handforth. The nursery has three rooms on the ground floor with toilet and kitchen facilities also on that level. There is an enclosed paved area for children to play outside. The nursery operates Monday to Friday, 07:45 to 18:15 for 51 weeks a year, excluding Christmas and New Year. There are 29 children on roll. Of these, six children are in receipt of funding for nursery education. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and children who speak English as an additional language. A total of three staff that work directly with the children of whom all are suitably qualified. A fourth person provides supply cover when needed. The nursery receives support from a Sure Start advisor.

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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?

Noah's Nursery provides good quality nursery education, which enables the children to make generally good progress overall towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is generally good. The member of staff in the pre-school room is confident and works hard. She remains calm and collected at all times and has good relationships with the children. She offers them good support in their activities and has high expectations of their behaviour and attitudes. Children follow a balanced routine and choose from a satisfactory range of equipment but this is restricted as many of the toys and equipment are not easily accessible. Planning is developing well but weekly planning doesn't link up to the stepping-stones and early learning goals. There is no differentiation in planning to take account of the children's different abilities and as a result the older, more able children are not always appropriately challenged. There is no assessment system in place.

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How effective is the nursery education?

The leadership and management of the nursery are generally good. Senior staff work along side pre-school staff in planning and evaluating the curriculum. Informal annual appraisals help senior staff to identify training needs of the staff and aspects of the nursery provision that need improving, however, no written records are kept. Staff have correctly identified the need for more detailed planning and the implementation of an assessment system. The partnership with parents is generally good. Parents speak positively of the provision that has a family type atmosphere. They are able to gain information on daily events and their children's progress on an informal level but do not receive written information on the Foundation Stage curriculum or on the children's assessments and progress.

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What is being done well?

• The management of children's behaviour is a strength of the nursery. The staff have high expectations of behaviour and are good role models. They treat the children with respect in a calm and consistent manner. The children respond well to this and are well behaved and have a positive attitude towards learning. • The children's language skills are developing well. They confidently talk to others about events in their lives and their interests. They learn new vocabulary through the themes, such as, words associated with life cycles and growth. • The children benefit from good support from the staff throughout the sessions. Staff encourage children to participate in and complete activities to a satisfactory conclusion, such as, completing a jigsaw.

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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 • High priority is put upon encouraging the children to follow a healthy lifestyle by teaching them the importance of following a healthy and nutritious diet, following sensible hygiene routines and taking regular exercise in the fresh air.

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What needs to be improved?

• the curriculum planning • the assessments of children's achievements and progress • the children's opportunities in selecting resources and developing personal independence • the children's awareness of the local environment and other cultures and beliefs • the children's opportunities for climbing and balancing • the information given to parents on the educational provision and their children's progress.

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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 The children are friendly and confident, they happily talk about their experiences and perform songs individually. Children are beginning to form special friendships and show concern for one another. They learn the importance of sharing and taking turns. Children's opportunities to select resources and take initiative are restricted as toys and materials are not easily accessible to them. Insufficient emphasis is put upon children developing personal independence through daily routines.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children talk confidently about events in their lives. Through the theme of 'Spring' the children are successfully extending their vocabulary. Staff place good emphasis upon the children using conventions, such as 'please' and 'thank you'. Children are learning that print carries meaning, as they recognise their names and other familiar words, however upper and lower case letters are not used appropriately in displays. Children handle books appropriately and enjoy looking at books.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Most children are able to count up to 10 and are becoming aware of number symbols. Through singing number rhymes such as, '5 little ducks' the children are learning to calculate. The older, more able children can add up to 5. Many children are able to recognise shapes and as they build with construction kits and complete jigsaws they are learning about the properties of shapes. Insufficient emphasis is put upon the children initiating mathematical activities as the equipment is out of reach.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Through the theme of spring the children learn about life cycles and how things grow. They enjoy constructing models and rail and road layouts. They talk about events in their lives but insufficient emphasis is put upon children learning about the local environment. By celebrating traditions, such as, 'Easter' the children are learning about their culture but insufficient emphasis is put upon developing their awareness of other cultural and religious differences.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children benefit from using the outdoor area throughout the day where they are able to run around freely. They use equipment to learn how to negotiate space and develop hand-eye coordination skills but not climbing and balancing skills. Children learn sensible practices to help them remain healthy, such as following good hygiene routines and eating nutritious food. They make good use of one-handed tools to develop their small physical skills.

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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: Generally Good Children have reasonable opportunities to explore colours, textures and shapes as they create models using play dough and construction kits. They confidently draw using pencil crayons and produce detailed and recognisable drawings but have limited opportunities to make use of other creative materials. The children confidently sing simple songs and nursery rhymes to one another. They play imaginatively with small world equipment but less so in the role play area which is not very inviting.

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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 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

• continue to develop planning to identify learning outcomes that relate to the stepping stones and to show how children of different abilities will be supported or challenged • develop an assessment system to monitor the children's progress towards the early learning goals • increase the children opportunities in selecting resources and developing personal independence • improve the children's awareness of the local environment and other cultures and beliefs.

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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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