Wigan UTC

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 08/12/2003 Inspector Name Lindsay Ann Farenden

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Nursery On The Green Setting Address Cricket Green Mitcham Surrey CR4 4LB

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REGISTERED PROVIDER 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 Nursery On The Green opened in 1993. It operates from a large community hall building. The nursery is self contained. The premises consist of three play rooms, two children's cloakrooms, kitchen, office, staff toilets. The nursery has use of the main hall, which on occasions is used by other agencies. The nursery serves the local and wider area. There are currently 31 children from 18 months to 4 years on roll. This includes 8 funded 3 year olds and 4 funded 4 year olds. Children attend a variety of sessions. There are currently no children attending the nursery with special needs and no children who speak English as an additional language. The group opens 5 days a week all year round. Sessions are from 07:30 until 18:00 Eight full time staff work with the children. Over half the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. Two staff are currently working to-wards a recognised early years qualification. The setting receives support from the Early

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Information about the setting

Years Co-Coordinator from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership. The Pre school children have the opportunity to take part in French and Italian lessons.

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How good is the Day Care?

The nursery on the Green provides satisfactory care for children. The premises offer a warm and friendly environment for children and provide sufficient space for them to play safely. Staff give good attention to children's safety both within and outside of the nursery. Staff help to develop children's understanding of good hygiene practise. Clear procedures are in place for the administration of medication and the recording of accidents. Staff give attention to children's individual dietary needs.

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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 There is a good range of play materials and equipment, however there are limited play materials available to younger children. All children would benefit from being able freely access art, craft, drawing activities and from role play areas within the play rooms. Staff have a positive attitude towards equal opportunities. Cultural festivals are celebrated and the nursery has a good range of multi- cultural and anti-discrimatory toys. Children have access to all play materials regardless of gender. Staff were observed offering children lots of positive praise. The children are happy and well behaved. Staff lack awareness of the children's age and understanding regarding their expectations to follow directions.

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How good is the Day Care?

Staff develop good relationships with the parents. Comprehensive prospectus which includes polices and procedures is given to parents. Information is exchanged with parents on a daily basis. Children's observations and developmental provides are discussed with parents on a regular basis. Parents questionnaires indicate that parents are happy with the standard of care provided. All required documentation and polices are in place and well organised.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Eleven actions were made at the last inspection which have been met. Since the last inspection there has been an improvement in records and documentation provided by the nursery and further polices put in place. Polices and procedures are included in the nursery prospectus.

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What is being done well?

• The nursery provides a warm and welcoming clean environment of an appropriate temperature. Space is well organised and children are grouped appropriately. The children are supervised by over 50% of qualified staff. A rigorous registration system provides an accurate record of which children and staff are on the premises. • The nursery has a good range of safe stimulating toys and equipment. The staff have a positive and caring approach to the children. Staff interact well with the children. Children are settled, happy and confident. Older children are provided with a suitable range of play materials set out, which the children are able to access freely. • Children dietary needs are respected. The nursery provides a healthy balanced diet and freshly cooked foods provided. • The nursery provides a good range of materials that promote equality of opportunity and anti- discrimatory practise. Children have access to all toys

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What is being done well?

regardless of gender. The nursery has a positive attitude to caring for children with special needs. • The nursery works closely with parents and develop good relationships with them. A comprehensive information prospectus is provided for parents, which

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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 includes polices.

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What needs to be improved?

• the organisation of play equipment and play materials for children, so they can make choices about their play and select them easily. • the effective use of toys to ensure the needs and interests of the children are met. • expansion of children's free access to art, craft, drawing materials and role play activities to develop children's learning and imagination.

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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 3 Provide a varied a range of play opportunities, roll play and art and craft activities, which children are able to freely access, for children’s overall development. 5 Ensure that sufficient play materials and equipment are easily accessible to children at all times. 11 Develop staff's awareness and understanding of demonstrating their expectations of behaviour wanted, taking into account the childs age and stage of development

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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?

Nursery on the Green provides nursery education where children make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Teaching is generally good. Children's personal, social and emotional development is well supported through positive relationships, and children behave well. Most staff have an understanding of how children learn and of the expected goals for children's learning. They plan and organise many activities that provide opportunities for children to learn and communicate ideas through practical experiences. However, there are not enough opportunities provided to support children's play and learning in some areas of their development. Written plans show what the children are expected to learn, but need to be further developed to show what activities and resources will be used to help children make progress towards the learning objective. A good range of resources are available, which are of good quality.

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How effective is the nursery education?

However, some resources need to be better organised so that sufficient materials are more readily available and can be used by the children more easily and more often. Leadership and management is generally good. The staff group have clear roles and responsibilities. Staff are generally supported to develop their experience through training. There is a commitment to continuing development and improvement, but effective systems for monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching are not yet in place. The partnership with parents is generally good. Parents receive clear information about the setting, including policies and procedures. They have the opportunity to attend regular meetings with their child's key worker to talk about their child's progress. Parents do not receive enough information about the nursery curriculum and daily activities to enable them to participate more actively in their child's

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What is being done well?

• Children form good relationships with each other and with adults, and are eager to join in with activities. • Children make good progress with early reading skills and show an interest in books and stories. • Children's behaviour in the pre-school room is good due to staff's consistent expectations and positive relationships • Staff work together well as a team and provide good role models • Staff have friendly relationships with parents and parents receive good feedback about their child's progress.

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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 opportunities for children to develop independence and self care skills by choosing their own resources and serving themselves at meal and snack times • the opportunities for children to write for a variety of purposes; to compare numbers and solve simple number problems; and to increase balance skills • the organisation of resources, so that children have more opportunities to develop their own ideas and use their imagination in role play and free choice art, design and construction activities • the planning, so that plans clearly show how resources and activities will be used to help children reach the stated learning objectives

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What has improved since the last inspection?

There has been generally good improvement since the last inspection. The nursery has extended children's opportunities to explore and investigate living, natural and made objects through theme work and the use of the garden. Opportunities for children to participate in incidental learning opportunities in literacy and mathematics, for example, through the home courner, and to increase skills in balance, still need to be further developed. The nursery now has two named Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators and has developed the use of observation to monitor children's progress. Planning has been developed and now reflects what children are expected to learn. Plans still need to be further developed to clearly show how staff will use resources to support progress towards the objective.

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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 Children make generally good progress in this area. They make good relationships with each other and with adults and behave well. They show confidence, work well together as part of a group and take turns. Children do not have enough opportunities to develop independence and self-care skills by selecting their own resources and serving themselves at meal and snack times.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in this area. They speak confidently and use language well to initiate conversations and negotiate. Children show an interest in books and listen attentively to stories. They learn to link letters to sounds and are encouraged to write their name. There are not enough opportunities for children to use writing materials as a means of recording and communicating for a variety of purposes, for example, during role play.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in this area. They show an interest in number and counting and many children count confidently. They learn about number, shape and size through practical activities, and their experience is reinforced through daily routines. There are too few opportunities for older and more able children to develop their understanding by comparing numbers and solving simple number problems.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in this area. They have opportunities to explore and investigate features of their environment and the natural world through practical experiences. Children talk about past and present events in their lives and show interest in the lives of those around them. They learn about the uses of everyday technology. The organisation of resources sometimes hinders opportunities for children to use a variety of materials to design and construct.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in this area. Children move confidently and are developing co-ordination and control. They are learning about things that are good and bad for them, such as healthy and unhealthy foods. They develop very good fine motor skills by using a variety of tools and utensils, and have opportunities to use bikes, run, throw and catch. There are not enough opportunities to increase climbing and balancing skills, for example by using the climbing frame.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

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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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in this area. They join in singing enthusiastically and sing songs from memory. They enjoy taking part in planned craft activities, and show good imagination during free play, but do not have enough opportunities to express their own ideas and imagination in role play and art and design.

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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

• Develop the organisation of resources so they are used more effectively to provide opportunities for children to choose their own activities and to express their own ideas and imagination in role play, art and design and construction activities. • Plan to provide more opportunities for children to: write for a variety of purposes, for example during role play activities; solve simple number problems, for example by making use of practical activities and everyday routines; and increase skills in balance. • Develop written plans so that they clearly show which activities and resources will be used to help children make progress towards the stated learning objectives, in order to make sure staff make full use of learning opportunities. • Evaluate the organisation of snack and meal time routines in order to consider ways of promoting children's independence and self care skills at these times.

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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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