Building Blocks Christian Day Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 11/01/2005 Inspector Name Anne Archer

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Building Blocks Christian Day Nursery Setting Address 15-17 Belvoir Drive Barton Seagrave Kettering Northamptonshire NN15 6QZ

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name Christian Day Nurseries Ltd 4295525

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Christian Day Nurseries Ltd Address The Manse Meeting Lane, Burton Latimer Kettering Northamptonshire NN15 5LS

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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

Building Blocks Christian Day Nursery opened in its current premises in 2003. It is situated in a small row of shops within Barton Seagrave, on the outskirts of Kettering in Northamptonshire. A maximum of 40 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 08:00 to 18:00 all year round, except for Bank Holidays. Out of School care is also provided. Children have access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 53 children aged from one year to four years on roll and of these 17 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local community and nearby towns and villages. The nursery currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and also supports children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs eleven staff, five of whom hold an appropriate early years qualification. Three staff are working towards a relevant qualification.

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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?

Building Blocks Christian Day Nursery provides good quality nursery education overall which enables children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Provision for their personal, social and emotional development is particularly well catered for. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff know the children well, have good relationships with them and have a consistent approach to managing their behaviour. While staff plan a variety of practical activities for the children, the learning objectives are not always clear nor are they linked to the stepping stones. Activities to improve children's awareness of writing for different purposes require development as do opportunities for children to use simple equipment. Staff observe children's learning and assess their progress. This information is quickly used to provide activities to meet individual children's learning needs. Staff give children a

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How effective is the nursery education?

good level of support and those with special educational needs are encouraged to participate in the full range of nursery activities. The leadership and management of the nursery is generally good. The manager and deputy, who are both directors of the nursery, ensure staff work as a team to fulfil the clear aims of the nursery. Due to a recent compulsory change of premises, which was out of the owners' control, systems to monitor and evaluate the provision of nursery education and to appraise staff have lapsed. A quality assurance package is being used as a tool to help management assess the current strengths and weaknesses of the provision. The partnership with parents and carers is generally good. Parents talk informally to staff about their child and they have an annual opportunity to discuss and contribute to their child's progress report. While there are currently no initiatives in place to encourage parents to be involved in their child's learning, newsletters inform them of

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What is being done well?

• Staff are good at developing children's language skills. They value what children say, introduce them to new vocabulary and encourage them to listen to others. • Children with special educational needs are included in all activities. Staff find out all they can about children's specific needs. They work in partnership with parents, carers and outside agencies to ensure children gain as much as possible from activities. • Children's physical skills are promoted very effectively through a varied range of indoor and outdoor activities.

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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 • Staff use effective strategies to promote good behaviour and consideration for others. They give clear and consistent boundaries and help them understand the impact of unacceptable behaviour on others.

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What needs to be improved?

• planning to link all activities to the six areas of learning • the attention given to increasing children's awareness of the different purposes of writing and the use of simple equipment to increase children's knowledge and understanding of information and communication technology • the information provided to parents about the areas of learning, the activities their children participate in and opportunities for parents to be involved in their child's learning • the system for staff appraisal.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Generally good progress has been made since the last inspection to improve the assessment system which was raised as a key issue in the previous inspection report. The senior member of staff responsible for the education of three and four year olds has introduced a rigorous programme of assessment, linked to the areas of learning, by which she can clearly identify what children know and what they need to do next. These assessments are quickly fed into the planning process and activities are adapted or instigated to meet the learning needs of individual children. However progress on the second key issue from the previous inspection report is less well developed. While there are logical links between long, medium and short term plans these are not based on the stepping stones and short term plans do not always include all of the activities available to the children. As a result, less experienced staff do not have a clear understanding of what children are intended to

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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: Very Good Children are becoming confident learners and show increasing independence in selecting and carrying out activities. Children are developing an awareness of their own needs and feelings. They are beginning to understand right from wrong and they have an awareness of the boundaries within the nursery. All children make relationships with adults and most children with their peers. They are learning to work as part of a group, take turns and share.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children listen and respond with enjoyment to stories, songs and rhymes. They have favourite stories and are beginning to understand how books work. Most children are confident speakers and some have an awareness of the listener. Some children are able to link sounds to letters, naming and sounding the letters of the alphabet. Children recognise their first names and some are beginning to write these correctly, but children do not regularly write for different purposes, for example in role-play.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children benefit from good individual support to help them count to ten and to recognise the corresponding numeral. Their understanding of numbers is reinforced as they take part in routine tasks such as at snack time. Children are learning about calculation through routines and thoughtful staff questioning during activities. Children learn to solve problems of shape and size and are developing their awareness of weight and capacity through a range of practical activities.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children show an interest in why things happen and how things work throughout the nursery day. They are beginning to design and construct with a purpose in mind using a variety of materials and tools. Children express their feelings and describe a personal significant event. They have limited access to a computer and simple equipment to reinforce and support their learning in other areas of the curriculum. Children are developing a sense of time and place through a range of activities.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good By participating in a range of activities children are learning to move with control and confidence and use a range of small and large equipment. Children show an awareness of space for themselves when playing amongst other children. They are learning about good practices relating to their health and are developing an awareness of how their bodies are affected by exercise. Children use one-handed equipment and tools and are beginning to understand that they have to be used safely.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are starting to explore what happens when they mix colour and use a variety of different media to construct two and three dimensionally. They participate in activities to develop their senses and are starting to make comparisons. Children are learning simple songs, listening and responding to different types of music and enjoy experimenting with sounds when using various musical instruments. They are learning to use their imaginations in a variety of ways.

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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

• include all activities in planning ensuring they are linked to the six areas of learning so that staff are clear about the intended learning outcome • increase children's awareness of the different purposes of writing and provide regular opportunities for children to operate simple equipment • improve the information provided to parents about the areas of learning and the activities their children participate in. Also develop ways for parents to be involved in their child's learning • re-introduce and develop staff appraisal to ensure that the training and development of staff has a positive impact on children's wellbeing and learning.

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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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