Coventry University Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 21/06/2004 Inspector Name Jan Burnet

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Coventry University Nursery Setting Address Alma Buildings Alma Street Coventry CV1 9QA

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Coventry University

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Coventry University Address Priory Street Coventry West Midlands CV1 5FB

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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

Coventry University Nursery was registered in 1980 and operates in converted accommodation on the university campus. The nursery is situated in the centre of Coventry and opening times are Monday to Friday from 8:00 until 18:00. The children are cared for in three main play areas for children under two years, two to three years and three to under five years and there are also two separate sleep areas. The outdoor play area is a church garden a short walk away from the nursery. Priority for places is given to students and University staff although two places are reserved by HSBC Bank and others are commercial places. A team of 13 staff care for the children and 11 are qualified - ten staff with level three qualifications and one with level two working towards level three. The manager, deputy and four others are full time staff members. The nursery receives teacher support from the Early Years Development and

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Information about the setting

Childcare Partnership with visits every term. A service is provided for children with special needs and children who speak English as an additional language.

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How good is the Day Care?

Coventry University Nursery provides satisfactory care for children. Staff create a warm and welcoming atmosphere and the nursery is well organised with good routines, equipment and resources. There are 13 staff members and ten hold level three qualifications. One staff member is qualified with level two and is working towards level three and unqualified staff are experienced childcare workers. All staff demonstrate a commitment to developing their skills and knowledge and regularly attend training. This is linked to a thorough procedure for recruitment and selection and a staff appraisal system. Documentation and records are kept up to date and in good order. Security of the building is good and written procedures and staff practise ensure children's safety. However, risk assessments displayed throughout have not been

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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 reviewed since 2001. Health and hygiene issues are addressed well. A thorough Health Matters Policy is provided. Currently one staff member holds an in date first aid certificate but training for other staff has been requested. The children are provided with a snack at 9:30 and a substantial and nutritious cooked meal at lunchtime that includes a vegetarian option. Tea at 15:30 is a light hot or cold meal. A good report from the Environmental Health Officer followed an inspection in March 2004. The interaction between the staff and the children is good. Staff demonstrate a commitment to providing equality of opportunity for all children. Each child is cared for as an individual. Activities are varied and well planned and children are

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How good is the Day Care?

appropriately challenged. Routines are good and the children are settled and happy. The management of behaviour is good and behaviour boundaries are consistently reinforced. Resources that reflect positive images of culture, gender and disability are good. The partnership with parents is good. Parents are encouraged to share what they know about their child and information for parents is good.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the time of the last inspection six actions were made and all have been satisfactorily addressed. Three of these related to child protection and the setting has now obtained a copy of the Area Child Protection procedures, nominated a staff member for child protection and developed a procedure for allegations made against a staff member. An operational plan has been developed and is working well in practise. A no smoking policy has been developed and implemented. A staff member has been nominated for behaviour management.

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What is being done well?

• The relationships between the staff and the children are good. Staff consistently respond very positively to children. A good variety of activities take full account of the different levels of development and all children are stimulated and challenged. • Resources are plentiful and of a good quality. In all rooms staff ensure that toys, equipment and furniture fully address the children's needs. The children are able to select their own toys and do so confidently. • The management of behaviour is good. Seven staff recently attended training and all staff put knowledge into practise well to ensure that elements identified in the Promoting Positive Behaviour Policy are addressed. This includes factors that may lead to inappropriate behaviour for example lack of stimulation and inappropriate activities and resources for a child's stage of

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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 development. • Information shared between parents and staff is good. This includes thorough admission forms and a child profile from parents and provided for parents are newsletters, notices, a prospectus and daily activity sheets. Open days are organised twice per year when key workers and parents meet to share information on the child.

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What needs to be improved?

• the regularity of the review of safety arrangements for children and staff.

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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 6 Ensure that safety arrangements for children and staff are regularly reviewed.

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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?

Coventry University Nursery offers very good quality nursery education, which helps three and four year old children make progress along the stepping stones towards the early learning goals. Children make very good progress in all six areas of learning. Teaching is very good. The staff team demonstrate a sound knowledge of the foundation stage curriculum and the stepping stones. They are fully aware of the stage of development of children in their key worker groups and all children experience activities that stimulate and challenge. Activities are very well planned, resources are very good and routines are well balanced. All staff have attended curriculum training. Systems are in place to ensure that children with special needs and children who speak english as an additional language are well supported. Staff regularly record observations that are then used to evidence judgements made in assessment records. Staff use what they know about children to challenge them

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How effective is the nursery education?

appropriately to lead them towards the next step. The management of behaviour is very good. Boundaries are clear, staff are consistent in their management and children behave well. Staff constantly praise the children and are good role models. Leadership and management are very good. The nursery manager and staff receive good support from the director of student services. Roles and responsibilities are clear and staff demonstrate a commitment to regularly reviewing practise to identify where any improvement to care or education could be made. Staff meetings are held once per month and appraisals, linked to training needs and interests, are held every six months. Partnership with parents is very good. Information on the education programme is in the prospectus and displayed. Parents are sent a monthly news sheet with information on the topic and activities and what the learning opportunities are. Assessment records are shared on two open days each year and information from

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What is being done well?

• Staff have a very good understanding of the stepping stones which leads to well planned activities and appropriate challenge set for all children. Assessment of attainment and progress is used effectively to ensure that children build on what they already know. • Children's writing, speaking and listening skills are developing well. • An understanding of numbers and size and comparisons of measures are developing well and are made more meaningful as they relate to practical experiences.

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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 • Children are happy, confident, curious and very motivated to learn. • Provision for creative development is good. Children show good imagination and play co-operatively as part of a group in pretend situations. • Parental involvement and input is valued and encouraged.

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What needs to be improved?

• the continued development of information technology resources • the above is a point for consideration and not a key issue.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Improvement since the last inspection is very good. There were two key issues raised. The provider was asked to evaluate plans to aid future planning. Staff have a system in place to evaluate activities as part of their future planning. The provider was asked to assess and record children's progress towards the early learning goals on a regular basis and use this information to plan the next steps in children's learning. Staff regularly record observations and use this as evidence for judgements made when completing comprehensive assessment records. Key workers record plans for individual children to lead them towards the next step in their learning.

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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, enthusiastic and eager to learn. They are keen to take part in adult led activities or concentrate alone or with friends enjoying activities chosen by themselves. Relationships are good and children behave well. They show consideration, share and take turns. They are developing personal independence and manage well, but confidently request help from an adult if needed. They talk and learn about families, cultures and beliefs and have visited different places of worship.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children speak clearly and listen to others. They question why things happen and initiate conversation with children, staff and visitors. They are beginning to link sounds to letters and can recognise their own name. More able children recognise other children's names. They play an active part at story time and handle books correctly. Pencil control is developing well with daily practise. More able children write their name without support and copy words to write labels on their drawings.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children count throughout the day. Two count confidently to 20. They are learning to recognise numerals to five and more able children are now ready to progress beyond five. They discuss size and "more" and "less" and are developing an awareness of addition and subtraction in practical activities. One four year old is able to complete simple "sums" on paper. Children confidently name two-dimensional shapes and are learning about size, weight and measure. They readily use positional language.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children experience a good variety of activities to explore and investigate. They show awareness and talk about change, for example during a cooking activity and exploring the life cycle of a butterfly, frog and chicken. They select resources and competently use tools and build and mould with a good range of materials. Children regularly use information technology equipment. They are learning to differentiate between past and present and find out about their environment by taking local walks.

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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 are developing skills whilst moving in a variety of different ways, for example on an obstacle course, actions to songs, during team games and movement to music. Children demonstrate a good awareness of their own space and that of others. They are learning about good practise with regard to health and hygiene and the effects of exercise by checking their heart rate and breathing. Daily opportunities to use a range of small and large equipment have led to well developed skills.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children confidently name a variety of colours and mix paint to create different colours. They experience a range of activities to explore texture and all other senses with a variety of planned and spontaneous activities. They explore sound with musical instruments. Children move to music copying adult body movements and using their own imagination. They use good resources to play co-operatively and act out pretend situations as a group. They creatively build and mould with good materials.

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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: • The following is a point for consideration and not a key issue. • Continue to develop information technology resources. 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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