The Orchard Day Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 22/04/2004 Inspector Name Diana Pidgeon

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name The Orchard Day Nursery Setting Address 25 Nether Street Beeston Nottingham Nottinghamshire NG9 2AT

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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 Orchard Day Nursery opened in 1996. It is privately owned and operates from a converted and extended detached house close to the centre of Beeston, Nottinghamshire. Children are accommodated in four areas according to age and stage of development. The pre-school children have use of a large room on the first floor with their own bathroom facilities. The extended ground floor offers a large playroom for children under three years of age, a smaller room for toddlers, and two areas for babies. There are two securely enclosed outdoor play areas, one of which is a hard surface suitable for all year round use and the other includes a large grassed area. Additionally there is a small, enclosed outdoor area where the younger children can play or babies can sleep in prams within sight of the staff. The nursery serves the local community and wider areas as parents travel to work either locally or in Nottingham.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 93 children on roll between 6 months and 8 years. This includes 14 funded 3-year-olds and 13 funded 4-year-olds. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and who speak English as an additional language, although none are currently funded. The nursery opens Monday to Friday 07:45 to 18:00 throughout the year, except for Bank holidays and one week at Christmas. Most of the children who attend are under five years of age but the nursery does offer a limited number of places to older children before or after school and during school holidays. There are 16 staff who work with the children. Of these 15 hold relevant childcare qualifications and 1 is currently attending training to achieve an award. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nursery Association and is just completing their accreditation award. The nursery receives support from a teacher from the Nottinghamshire Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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How good is the Day Care?

The Orchard Day Nursery provides good quality care for children. Effective

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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 recruitment, induction and support from management ensure a well-qualified and motivated staff teamwork with the children. The nursery offers a bright and welcoming environment for children. Good use is made of space in every area and the children of all age groups benefit from the attractive and safe outdoor gardens. High priority is given to keeping children safe, supervised and secure. Staff carefully follow all of the procedures in place and actively promote health and hygiene in the nursery. Appetising and nutritious meals help promote healthy eating and take account of children's individual dietary needs. Staff present an excellent balance and range of activities for children throughout the nursery. They are knowledgeable about the children and how they learn through

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How good is the Day Care?

play. Toys and play materials are attractively presented and arranged to enable children to make choices in their play. Children's self-esteem is encouraged through the staff offering positive praise. There is a strong partnership with parents. They are provided with clear information about the nursery and have opportunities to discuss their child's progress both formally and informally. Staff exchange information on a daily basis with parents and this is supplemented in the baby areas by the use of daily diaries. Records, policies and procedures are all in place and generally very detailed.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Since the last inspection the provider has addressed both of the actions raised. She has produced her current driving licence to Ofsted and has provided additional separate facilities for staff. Having completed these actions satisfactorily this has improved the organisation of the nursery and safety of the children.

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What is being done well?

• Clear structures and procedures are in place to underpin the management of the setting and to ensure the well-qualified staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. There is an on-going commitment to improvement, which is demonstrated through staff actively attending additional training to update and enhance their skills and the participation in a quality assurance scheme. • Safety and security are given high priority, with effective arrangements to ensure children cannot leave the premises unsupervised or unwanted persons gain entry. Risk assessments are used to identify and reduce potential hazards and staff show a very clear awareness of safe working practices. • Nutritious, healthy meals and snacks are prepared for the children from fresh ingredients, daily. Menus are varied and offer alternatives to meet children's individual dietary needs, which are carefully followed. Meal times are sociable

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What is being done well?

occasions where children sit in small groups and are encouraged to develop their independence skills. Children are developing a love of fresh fruit and vegetables, which they readily identify.

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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 • The nursery provides a welcoming atmosphere for parents, providing clear written information in the form of a nursery prospectus, notice boards and monthly newsletters. Staff and parents exchange information informally and through diaries, open evenings and social events. Parents are aware that they can access their child's developmental records at any time and are able to contribute to them.

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What needs to be improved?

• records relating to the administration of medication to include additional detail to improve the clarity.

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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 7 Review the system for recording medication administered to children.

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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 Orchard Day Nursery provides high quality nursery education for children. Effective teaching ensures children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals. An interesting, well-planned programme of activities is offered which successfully promotes all six areas of learning. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff show a secure knowledge of the early learning goals and how children learn through play. Planning ensures all areas of the curriculum receive sufficient emphasis whilst routines allow children time to consolidate their learning. Staff observe children and use assessments to inform their short term planning. This enables them to offer suitable challenges to meet individual children's interests and abilities. Staff are calm, relaxed and friendly in their dealings with the children. They act as good role models and help children to understand what is expected of them and the effect of their actions on others.

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How effective is the nursery education?

The leadership and management of the nursery is very good. Clear management structures, comprehensive policies and procedures and thorough ways to ensure staff are familiar with these, ensure the key values are reflected in practice. Working towards an external accreditation scheme and the high priority given to staff to accessing continued training shows a commitment to on-going improvement. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents are provided with good information about the curriculum and ways in which they can support their child's learning at home. There is a friendly and welcoming atmosphere and parents can discuss their child's progress both informally and at parents' evenings.

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What is being done well?

• The nursery makes very good use of the outdoor area as a learning environment. Children take part in physical activities, which challenge them, such as climbing and balancing. They learn about the natural world as they grow beans, watch shadows, examine clouds and find insects around the garden. Children co-operate and work together on a large scale when playing parachute games or building tall towers from cardboard tubes. • Mathematical learning takes place through many different activities. Staff skilfully plan many enjoyable practical activities such as finding and counting pieces of treasure buried in the sand, dressing dolls with the correct sized clothes and matching socks on the washing line. Children confidently use mathematical language and staff draw out problem solving and learning opportunities in all areas throughout the day. • Staff are confident, motivated and work well as a team. They are keen to take

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What is being done well?

advice and to attend additional training to enhance their practice. Their skills and competence enables them to be good role models for the children, to

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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 plan a relevant and stimulating curriculum that excites the children, and to guide the children to understand the expectations for their behaviour.

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What needs to be improved?

• the planned opportunities for children to explore their feelings and creativity through sound and music.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The nursery has made very good progress since the last inspection in 1999. Pre-school children now occupy a larger, purpose built room and the staff team has changed. All three key issues have been effectively addressed. Emphasis is now placed on developing children's knowledge and understanding of mathematics through practical everyday experiences, nursery routines and focussed play activities, rather than worksheets. This has resulted in children using number and mathematical language confidently. Children now have many opportunities to express themselves freely in craft activities and displays around the room show examples of their own work. Staff have attended training to support this aspect of the curriculum and now give children lots of encouragement to be creative with a wide range of materials. The local area is now more widely used to extend children's learning. Groups of children regularly visit the local library and nearby places of interest to enhance their

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What has improved since the last inspection?

understanding of the topics. These have included a visit to the local fire station, which has extended children's experiences.

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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 confident, happy and eager to learn. They are developing good levels of concentration and sit well at group times. Clear adult expectations help children to learn what behaviour is expected of them, to develop independence skills and show care for each other and the environment. Children work co-operatively when using the parachute and take turns fairly in games.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children use language confidently and are able to speak clearly in small and large groups. They show a love of stories and often read for their own pleasure. Most children recognise their own names. Many practical and well-planned activities enable children to practice their mark making and writing skills. Many children can label their work clearly. They often take part in activities that link sounds and letters.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Many interesting and well-supported activities encourage children to use and recognise numbers up to 10 and sometimes beyond. They enjoy singing number rhymes, such as Five Currant Buns. Children count confidently and perform simple calculations during the daily routines. They sort, match and compare through a wealth of exciting activities, such as pairing socks, filling containers with sand or measuring beans.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Planned activities enable children to explore and investigate. They grow seeds, watch tadpoles turn into frogs and observe the changing seasons. Children have a good sense of time and place and talk about significant events in their lives. They are learning to appreciate their own and other cultures. Children enjoy using recycled materials and commercial construction sets to design and build, and often confidently use simple computer programmes and items of everyday technology.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy many opportunities outdoors to practise and enhance their climbing, balancing and movement skills. There are planned opportunities to teach children to roll, throw and catch which are adapted according to individual need. Regular opportunities to use small tools, such as scissors, cutlery and brushes, ensure children's skills are progressing well. Some children recognise the effect exercise has on their bodies.

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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: Very Good Many carefully planned activities allow children to explore a variety of materials, media and techniques to help them learn about colour, texture and form. Children show sustained interest when painting a picture of the cook, mixing paints or moulding clay. Children have some opportunities to appreciate music and enjoy singing together. The attractive role-play areas encourage children to act out their experiences and stretch their imaginations.

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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: • extend children's opportunities to explore sound and express their creativity through music.

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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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