Southborough Primary School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 09/08/2004 Inspector Name Miriam Sheila Brown

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Meadows Day Nursery Setting Address Windrush Little Shurdington, Shurdington Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL51 4TX

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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

Meadows Day Nursery is privately owned and operates from the ground floor of a large, detached house in the Shurdington area of Cheltenham. The nursery opened in 1996 and serves the families from nearby towns and villages. Meadows Day Nursery is open Monday to Friday from 08.00 until 18.00, closing only for public holidays. It is registered to care for 48 children from birth to five years. There are currently 79 children on the roll, of these 5 are funded 3-year-olds and 22 funded 4-year-olds. Children are cared for in four separate age groups, each with their own playrooms. There is a large, enclosed garden which incorporates an adventure playground, hard surfacing for wheeled toys and a large grassed area. A team of 12 staff work in the nursery, 6 of whom hold a National Vocational Qualification in Childcare and Education, or equivalent, at level 3 and 3 staff with level 2 childcare qualifications. In addition there is a manager, who is National

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Information about the setting

Nursery Examination Board qualified, a cook and a secretary. All staff have attended first aid and child protection training. The pre-school group is supported by the local authority Early Years Advisor and the Special Educational Needs Coordinator. The nursery is a member of the Parent and Toddler Association.

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How good is the Day Care?

Meadows Day Nursery provide good care for children overall. The premises are bright and welcoming and offer well planned play areas for children. Staff are well qualified. The range of toys and resources are appropriate for all the children present. Safety issues are well addressed and staff are vigilant about children's safety, however the group does not record details of all visitors. Hygiene is effectively maintained. Accident and medication records are in place although permission for emergency medical treatment has not been sought. Individual dietary requirements

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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 are clearly recorded and meals are well balanced and nutritious. Children's free access to drinking water is limited, although drinks are offered regularly. Staff have a good awareness of child protection issues. Staff organise a broad range of activities to support children in all areas of their development, although a few are not appropriate for the two to three-year-old group. Staff have a very good knowledge of the children enabling individual needs to be well met. Children enjoy a good choice of free and structured play activities in all age groups. These are based on the Birth to Three Matters planning documents. Nursery resources support all aspects of equal opportunities and children are encouraged to

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How good is the Day Care?

take part in all activities. The staff have a good awareness of methods to support children with special needs. Children's behaviour is very good and staff are positive, consistent and provide good role models for the children. Parents are offered good information about the setting. Informal discussion with staff, daily diaries and open evenings are used to inform them about their children's progress. Parents are encouraged to take an active role in nursery topic activities, for example, cooking, and questionnaires for the inspection strongly support the nursery and the care offered.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

There were no actions from the last Children Act Inspection.

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What is being done well?

• Organisation of the nursery is very good. The staff are well trained and care in all four age groups meet the children's needs effectively. Staff have attended Birth to Three Matters training which has a positive effect on the development of the care offered. • Children's behaviour is well managed in all groups and staff employ appropriate strategies according to the ages of the children. They provide positive and consistent role-models to the children. • The partnership with parents is very good and parents are encouraged to take an active part in nursery life by joining in with specific topic work. They are offered good information about all aspects of care and have good opportunities to express their opinions about the nursery. • The use of the outdoor area is very good and children enjoy the adventure play area, hard surfaced track and imaginative play area on a daily basis.

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What needs to be improved?

• the appropriateness of some activities for children aged two to three years • children's access to drinking water • the procedures for recording visitors to the nursery and the seeking of parents permission for emergency medical treatment.

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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

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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 2 Maintain a record of visitors to the nursery which includes the date and time of visit. 3 Ensure activities for children in the two to three year group are appropriate for their age and ability. 7 Request written permission from parents for seeking emergency medical advice or treatment. 8 Ensure that children have easy and regular access to fresh drinking water.

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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?

Meadows Day Nursery provides high quality education and children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals in each of the six areas of learning. Children are happy and confident and learn through well planned structured and free-play activities. Teaching is very good and teamwork excellent. Staff have a very good knowledge of the Foundation Stage, early learning goals and stepping stones and how these are used to assist in children's learning. Staff support the children effectively at all times, although there is scope for them to further evaluate some activities for younger children and to develop social skills at meal times. Staff plan the day and use of resources well, providing a wide range of learning experiences that encourage the children to think and solve problems for themselves. There is a good balance of adult and child-initiated activities. Staff have experience in offering support to

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How effective is the nursery education?

children with special needs. They use excellent behaviour management techniques and are calm and consistent in their approaches to the children. They are good role models. Assessments and observations are used well to inform planning and to highlight and meet individual needs. The leadership and management of the nursery is very good. The staff team are well supported by the manager to continue their professional development. They regularly assess their own strengths and weaknesses through staff meetings, personal appraisal, feedback from parents and outside agencies. The staff show a strong commitment to providing ongoing quality care and education. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents are provided with good information about the setting through nursery notices and policy documents. They are well informed about their children's progress through informal discussion, written assessments and parent's evenings. Feedback from parents, both written and

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How effective is the nursery education?

verbal, offers strong support for all aspects of nursery care and education.

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What is being done well?

• Staff make good use of everyday activities and routines to develop children's learning in all areas, for example discussion about the Olympic games is developed to include looking at a globe and discussing the weather in different parts of the world. Snack time is used well to encourage awareness of simple mathematical problems. • Children's awareness of everyday technology is developing well and they are offered many opportunities to use the computer and tape recorder. Staff draw children's attention to the use of wires and pipes and the children have created a book using photographs that they have taken. • Children's writing and initial sound awareness are both very good. Staff

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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 provide many excellent opportunities for children to make marks in their play, form more structured letters and to listen to and identify sounds. • Staff develop children's imaginary play very well by providing a good variety of exciting role-play opportunities which are planned according to the theme at the time, for example an animal burrow.

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What needs to be improved?

• opportunities for children to develop their social skills at meal times • the range of work for some younger children in adult-led group activities such as simpler number tasks

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good progress has been made in addressing the points for consideration identified in the previous inspection report. These required the nursery to improve opportunities for children to create models in two and three dimensions and to provide appropriate challenges to meet individual needs in large group activities. Children enjoy regular opportunities to build using recycled materials and construction sets, either as part of a group activity, or as individual free play experiences. This assists the children in developing their problem solving abilities and their awareness of different materials. Large group activities are now planned to provide appropriate challenges to meet the children's individual needs. There is scope to develop this further to ensure that the youngest children in the group are able to participate at their own level of ability in more structured activities.

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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: Very Good Children are happy and confident. They interact well with staff and each other and play well in large and small groups. They understand about taking turns, are polite and well behaved. Staff encourage them to be independent and to care for themselves, although there is scope to improve their social skills at meal times. Children learn about their immediate community through planned visits from local people such as the fire service, road safety unit and parents.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are confident speakers and enjoy talking about their experiences and activities. During term-time children may have French speaking lessons. They are developing a love of books and have made several of their own about 'autumn', 'going to bed', and 'saying thankyou'. They enjoy stories and poems and identify initial sounds with ease. Children have lots of good opportunities to make marks, and many are able to write their names with letters correctly formed.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are developing their awareness of number, simple subtraction and addition through daily routines and practical activities such as counting the cups at snack time. They are starting to record number on simple work sheets, although this is not always appropriate for some younger children. They have a good understanding of basic shapes and use the appropriate vocabulary to describe them. Children weigh, sort and compare in practical activities such as cooking and modelling.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children have many opportunities to explore and find out about their own environment and the wider world. They use and have a good understanding of everyday technology, for example, taking photographs and using the computer and tape player. They enjoy designing and building models. Their awareness of different cultures is developed through group discussions about holidays, the Olympic Games and themed work.

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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: Very Good Children enjoy the extensive outdoor area which offers them good opportunities to develop their large muscle control using the adventure playground and hard-surface track. They show a good awareness of personal space in music and movement. Staff encourage them to be aware of what happens to their bodies during exercise and how to keep healthy. Children use a range of small tools competently, manipulating scissors, pencils and sticky tape effectively, but do not all use knives at lunch time.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children explore colours and textures in their play and have practised painting with their feet. They enjoy listening to taped music and singing songs and rhymes. Indoor role play activities are well planned and fit with the theme of work, for example, an animal burrow during the topic about 'underground'. Children are offered good opportunities to express their feelings throughout their play, using resources and social occasions to express and communicate ideas.

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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 high quality. Children are making very 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

There are no significant weaknesses to report, but considerations should be given to improving the following: • There are no significant weaknesses to report, but consideration should be given to improving the following: • the children's use of appropriate cutlery at meal times to further develop their dexterity and social skills • review the range of worksheets used in adult-led activities, ensure they are appropriate to the age and ability of all the children.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

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

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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