The Playroom

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 09/03/2005 Inspector Name Emma Hartnell-Baker

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name The Playroom Setting Address 70 Musters Road West Bridgford Nottingham Nottinghamshire NG2 7PR

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name West Bridgford Out of School Care Ltd 4668799

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name West Bridgford Out of School Care Ltd Address 70 Musters Road West Bridgford Nottingham Nottinghamshire NG2 7PR

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and 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 of the quality and standard of day care in accordance with the National Standards for Under Eights Day Care and Childminding; and 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

The Playroom Day Nursery opened in 1997. It operates from a converted detached house in a residential area of West Bridgford, Nottingham, and serves the local community. The nursery is registered to provide places for 36 children under 8 years of age. There are currently 57 children on roll, including 8, 3-year-olds and 10, 4-year-olds who receive nursery education funding. The setting opens Monday to Friday from 07:45 to 18:15 for 52 weeks of the year, with the exception of bank holidays.

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Information about the setting

Children are cared for on 2 levels, with 0-2 year olds downstairs and 2.5 - 5 year olds upstairs. All rooms have direct access to suitable toilets/changing areas. There is a safely enclosed outdoor play area. Children attend a variety of sessions each week. The nursery currently supports children with English as a second language. Fourteen staff work regularly with the children and 10 members of staff have early years qualifications. Seven staff hold a current first aid certificate. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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How good is the Day Care?

The Playroom Day Nursery provides good quality care for children. A secure and welcoming atmosphere is created where children can develop good attitudes and dispositions to learning. Staff attend regular training in order to extend their knowledge and skills and are qualified, or working towards childcare qualifications. The environment is well organised and stimulating, offering scope for a range of activities which promote children's development. Records, policies and procedures are well organised and effectively inform parents about the provision. Positive steps are taken to ensure that children are kept safe within the nursery premises and on outings. Information is sought and recorded in relation to the children's individual care, dietary and health requirements. Good health and hygiene practice is encouraged through daily routines. Not all staff are fully aware of the current guidelines with regards to child protection. A varied, and well-balanced, meat

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How good is the Day Care?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 free menu is offered, and staff make good attempts at raising children's awareness of healthy lifestyles.

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How good is the Day Care?

The staff team work well to ensure that children have access to a varied range of easily accessible toys and resources. The planning of enjoyable age appropriate activities ensures that all children are included, and supported in their play and learning. Children are independent, confident and have regard for each other. Staff use praise and encouragement to promote good behaviour. Children are treated with respect and have opportunities to learn about the wider world, although individual differences are not fully acknowledged. Staff have an interest in caring for children with special needs. Established relationships with parents, and regular information sharing, keeps parents well informed about the care and education of their children. Documentation is kept up to date and stored in a confidential manner.

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What is being done well?

• Staff are keen to extend their knowledge and skills through training, and all have achieved or are working towards a childcare qualification. They work well together and are deployed effectively to ensure that individual's children are met. Space is organised well both inside and out to offer a range of activities and play experiences for children of all ages. • A stimulating environment has been created with ample space for children of all ages to play, rest and eat comfortably. Children are able to experience a range of activities which promote their development. • A good range of well-maintained furniture, equipment and toys are easily accessible to the children and conform to safety standards. • Staff develop positive relationships with parents and care for children according to their wishes. Information is shared regularly and appropriately, and confidentiality is maintained. Comprehensive written information is

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What is being done well?

available and easily accessible, which helps parents to fully understand policies and procedures. • Records, policies and procedures are stored confidentially, and information shared appropriately with parents. This contributes to the smooth running of the provision, and ensures that everyone is clear with regards to their role and responsibilities.

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What needs to be improved?

• the range of opportunities created to acknowledge and celebrate individual

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What needs to be improved?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 differences as well as similarities between children • staff knowledge and understanding of current child protection procedures and guidelines and who to contact with any concerns

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CONDITIONS OF REGISTRATION

All registered persons must comply with all conditions of registration included on his/her certificate of registration. As a result of this inspection conditions of registration have been imposed / varied / removed and a new certificate of registration will be issued.

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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 9 Further extend play resources and activities that acknowledge and value differences, as well as similarities, between individual children and enable them to learn about the wider world. 13 Ensure that staff understand current child protection guidelines and procedures to be followed, and are aware of the role of the designated representative.

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by the time of the next 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; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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How effective is the nursery education?

The Playroom provides good quality nursery education overall which enables children to making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff have good relationships with children and set consistent boundaries, so that they are secure, motivated and able to learn. Staff have sufficient understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum, although the level of experience in the team means that this is an ongoing process and currently limits their contribution to aspects of planning. An attractive environment is created where children learn through a range of practical activities and have opportunities to re-visit and practice skills. Staff generally ask relevant questions to check children's level of understanding. Children can choose activities, but the key working and deployment systems means that staff lack awareness of the learning intentions for

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How effective is the nursery education?

children who are not in their group. There are suitable systems by which staff assess children's progress towards the early learning goals. This information is not used as the basis for planning future daily activities to build on children's existing skills. Sometimes expectations for children's learning are not sufficiently high or clear. Leadership and management is generally good. The proprietor spends time within the nursery and is able to offer good levels of support to staff and parents. She leads on planning to ensure a varied curriculum, but does not work with staff's assessments, to plan according to children's next steps in learning. Management provide good ongoing training opportunities for the staff. Partnership with parents is generally good. They are provided with a clear range of information about the curriculum. Managers and staff's friendly approach ensure that parents feel confident to exchange information both informally and at parent

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How effective is the nursery education?

evenings. Systems to formalise and use parent contributions, when planning, are not fully implemented.

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What is being done well?

• Staff work consistently as a team to help children understand expected behaviour and boundaries, through positive behaviour management strategies. Consequently children are well behaved and form good relationships with each other and their carers. • Children are developing a good knowledge of letter sounds and link these to letters. Older children are beginning to build on their phonic knowledge to write simple words. • Children are able to count and recognise numbers to ten and many children count beyond this. Older children are beginning to use their mathematical knowledge to solve simple number problems.

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What is being done well?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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What needs to be improved?

• the medium and short term planning, so that learning intentions for activities are based more clearly on assessments and build on what children know and can do • the organisation of staffing and the management of the day, so that staff have a clearer understanding of the learning intentions for all the children they may work with.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The setting has made generally good progress since the last inspection. The system for assessing and recording children's progress, in place at the previous inspection, has been reviewed to ensure it is practical and effective to use. There is a simple system for staff to record progress against the stepping stones. From this, they write a profile for each child at the end of each topic, which outlines the next steps for learning in each of the six areas of the curriculum. Whilst staff understand this process, staffing changes have impacted on how regularly these have been undertaken in the last year, although they are now able to complete them as planned.

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What has improved 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; and 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 confident in the nursery environment choosing their activities and participating alongside their peers and the adults. They are well behaved and know how to share and take turns, for example as they use the climbing frame, where only four play at one time. They pour drinks and put on aprons, contributing well to their own self care. They learn about other cultures and beliefs but adults haven't used the potential areas of diversity within the nursery to maximise this experience.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children's spoken language is good. They express themselves during conversations and negotiate play ideas with their peers. Staff do not give enough emphasis to helping children, with English as an additional language, use the spoken word. Children enjoy stories but do not always access books independently. They competently link sounds to letters and some children phonetically spell simple words. Children are keen mark makers with chalks, crayons and pencils. Older ones form letters correctly.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good The children count and recognise numbers to ten and some go beyond this. They use number during daily activities, such as counting how many plates for snack. Older children are challenged to consider simple number problems, "how many more do we need". Planned activities for older children to learn about patterns and sequencing were not followed through, providing insufficient challenge. Children learn about weight and capacity as they play with sand and through regular baking activities.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Through using a variety of construction materials children have an awareness of using shapes to create designs. They use recyclable materials to design their own spaceships and concentrate and persist at these activities. Children learn about their local community through outings to the library and park. They grow plants and develop awareness of the natural world. They do not always have opportunities to learn about the cultures and lives of their peers through discussion and activities.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Daily routines and planned activities give children a good awareness of healthy eating and hygiene practices and they can contribute to their own well being. A varied range of opportunities promotes children's fine motor skills. They hold pencils well and use scissors competently. Children have regular opportunities to play outdoors with a good range of large equipment. Staff's organisation and planning does not always set appropriate challenges to maximise learning.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good The children enjoy role play and 3 and 4-year-olds play co-operatively making good use of the resources to develop their play ideas. They readily take part in painting and other creative activities, exploring the media using a range of senses. They respond to experiences, such as a new story and communicate their responses and ideas through drawings and talk. Children did not take part in the singing and music activity, which was poorly organised and did not sustain their interest sufficiently.

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

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

• improve the medium and short term planning so that learning intentions for activities are based more clearly on assessments and build on what children know and can do • review the organisation of staffing and the management of the day so that staff have a clearer understanding of the learning intentions for all the children they may work with.

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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 Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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STANDARD 1 - SUITABLE PERSON

Adults providing day care, looking after children or having unsupervised access to them are suitable to do so.

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STANDARD 2 - ORGANISATION

The registered person meets required adult: child ratios, ensures that training and qualifications requirements are met and organises space and resources to meet the children's needs effectively.

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STANDARD 3 - CARE, LEARNING AND PLAY

The registered person meets children's individual needs and promotes their welfare. They plan and provide activities and play opportunities to develop children's emotional, physical, social and intellectual capabilities.

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STANDARD 4 - PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

The premises are safe, secure and suitable for their purpose. They provide adequate space in an appropriate location, are welcoming to children and offer access to the necessary facilities for a range of activities which promote their development.

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STANDARD 5 - EQUIPMENT

Furniture, equipment and toys are provided which are appropriate for their purpose and help to create an accessible and stimulating environment. They are of suitable design and condition, well maintained and conform to safety standards.

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STANDARD 6 - SAFETY

The registered person takes positive steps to promote safety within the setting and on outings and ensures proper precautions are taken to prevent accidents.

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STANDARD 7 - HEALTH

The registered person promotes the good health of children and takes positive steps to prevent the spread of infection and appropriate measures when they are ill.

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STANDARD 8 - FOOD AND DRINK

Children are provided with regular drinks and food in adequate quantities for their needs. Food and drink is properly prepared, nutritious and complies with dietary and religious requirements.

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STANDARD 9 - EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

The registered person and staff actively promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all children.

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NEEDS AND DISABILITIES)

The registered person is aware that some children may have special needs and is

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NEEDS AND DISABILITIES)

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 proactive in ensuring that appropriate action can be taken when such a child is identified or admitted to the provision. Steps are taken to promote the welfare and development of the child within the setting in partnership with the parents and other relevant parties.

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STANDARD 11 - BEHAVIOUR

Adults caring for children in the provision are able to manage a wide range of children's behaviour in a way which promotes their welfare and development.

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STANDARD 12 - WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS AND CARERS

The registered person and staff work in partnership with parents and to meet the needs of the children, both individually and as a group. Information is shared.

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STANDARD 13 - CHILD PROTECTION

The registered person complies with local child protection procedures approved by the Area Child Protection Committee and ensures that all adults working and looking after children in the provision are able to put the procedures into practice.

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STANDARD 14 - DOCUMENTATION

Records, policies and procedures which are required for the efficient and safe management of the provision, or to promote the welfare, care and learning of children are maintained. Records about individual children are shared with the child's parent.

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STANDARD 14 - DOCUMENTATION

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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