Clydach Tuition Centre

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 31/03/2004 Inspector Name Lynn Clements

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Little Leighs Nursery Setting Address Great Leighs Village Hall Boreham Road,Great Leighs Chelmsford Essex CM3 1PP

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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

Little Leighs Nursery has been registered since 1992. It operates from rooms within the Village hall in Great Leighs and can fence off a section of the recreation ground for outside play. The group primarily serves the local residential and business communities. The nursery registration currently includes 30 funded three-year-olds and 17 funded four-year-olds. The group have extremely effective strategies in place to support children with special educational needs. Staff are currently formalising their existing procedures to support children with English as an additional language. Little Leighs Nursery opens five days a week during school term times. The hours are 09:00hrs - 12:15hrs Monday to Wednesday and 09:00hrs - 12:30hrs Thursday and Friday. The group also have afternoon sessions Monday to Wednesday from 12:30hrs - 15:00hrs children attend for a variety of sessions. There are eight members of staff including Mrs Overee, who work on a mixture of full

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Information about the setting

and part time contracts. Seven of them have childcare qualifications. The group also have bank staff that can be called on to cover training, holidays and sickness which helps to ensures continuity of care for children attending the nursery. The nursery works closely with other professionals including the Early Years Development and Childcare partnership (EYDCP) and the Area Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO).

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How good is the Day Care?

Little Leighs Nursery provide Good quality care for children. There are good staffing levels and an effective use of key workers to provide children with a secure and reassuring environment. Relevant training has been accessed over and above that required by the national standards. The setting is warm and welcoming and resources are child accessible. Attention to visual aspects

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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 such as displays provides a bright friendly environment for children and their families. There is a broad range of interesting resources, child height furniture and equipment. Record's policies and procedures are in place. All documentation is securely stored and confidentiality is maintained. Management ensures the staff team have a consistent approach to risk assessment and safety procedures, which keep children safe. Staff promote children's awareness of hygiene and safety through daily routines, which include washing their hands. Dietary requirements are recognised and met and children can select healthy snacks and drinks further promoting their independence. Visual displays around the setting provide children with positive images of cultural diversity and gender issues.

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How good is the Day Care?

Staff actively support children with special education needs. Strategies for children with English as an additional language are currently being formalised. There are effective policies and procedures in place regarding child protection issues however they require minor adjustments to include contact names and numbers. Children and adults relate well to each other and behaviour is good. Children are confident to approach adults and initiate conversations. They belong to key worker groups which enables staff to plan and meet individual needs effectively. Partnership with parents is good. Parents and staff share information on a regular basis. The setting provides regular newsletters. Strong links with the local primary school helps to provide a smooth transition for children between settings.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the following actions were identified. To ensure evidence regarding police clearance is in place for members of staff working with children. To produce an action plan detailing how staff planned to meet the 50% qualification criteria of the national standards. Finally to update the written complaints procedure to include the address and telephone number of the regulator Ofsted. All actions have now been addressed. Staff records contain original CRB clearance forms along with Ofsted confirmation letters. Also existing staff have Police authority clearance letters available while they await confirmation of their recent CRB applications. All staff now hold or are nearing completion NVQ II and NVQ III childcare qualifications. Finally the complaints procedure clearly states the contact number and address for the regulator Ofsted.

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What is being done well?

• Special educational needs strategies and the personal approach of staff ensures that children and their families are fully supported and their individual needs are met • An effective key worker system is in place which enables children to become independent, confident and active learners supported by staff who know them well

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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 • Play opportunities and activities provided for children are interesting and stimulating and build on what they already know extending their imagination and investigation skills • Partnership with parents and the local community is good and enables children to move confidently between home and the nursery and promotes a smooth transition to future settings • Behaviour is good, staff act as positive role models, listening to children and helping them to cooperate, taking turns and sharing fairly

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An aspect of outstanding practice:

Staff at Little Leighs Nursery work closely with families and their children who have special educational needs. They adopt a multi-disciplinary approach to identification and resolution of issues. Staff are pro-active in empowering parents to play an active and informed role in their child's education. Staff recognise that it is vital for children with special educational needs to be offered access to a broad, balanced and relevant early years education. The culture of their setting and the training and deployment of staff and resources are designed to ensure that children's needs are met effectively.

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What needs to be improved?

• update the current child protection policy to include contact names and numbers of the local police and social services in accordance to standard 13.2 of the recently reviewed national care standards

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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 13 update current child protection policy to include contact numbers of the local police and social services in accordance with standard 13.2 of the recently reviewed national care standards

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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 provision for nursery education at Little Leighs Nursery is very good. It enables children to make very good progress towards all six early learning goals. Teaching is very good. staff have clear knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage and how young children learn. They plan motivating and challenging activities to help children learn. Planning and assessment procedures are thorough. There is a wide range of interesting resources and equipment which staff use well to support children's progress in all six areas of learning. Children's behaviour is excellent and they respond well to the high expectations and sensitive approach of all staff. activities are well managed and story times are a particular strength sustaining children's interest, imagination and participation. Exceptional strategies are in place to identify and support children with special educational needs, enabling them to make very good progress. There are also

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How effective is the nursery education?

informal support systems in place for children with English as an additional language, staff are currently formalising these. Leadership and management is very good. Managers have worked hard to develop a strong staff team and are committed to providing opportunities for staff development. Regular staff meetings enables staff to share ideas and information. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents have informal opportunities to discuss their children's progress, staff are also looking to develop more formal approaches, such as open evenings. Staff are currently developing communication systems to enable parents to contribute the special knowledge they have regarding their child's achievements at home, this will provide staff with an even greater picture of each child's stage of development ensuring assessment records are accurate and informative for parents and future placements. Regular newsletters keep parents

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How effective is the nursery education?

informed and encourage them to participate in nursery events. Parents are very supportive.

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What is being done well?

• Children with special educational needs have additional equipment and staff to support them and help them participate in activities along side their peers • Staff have a very good knowledge and understanding of the foundation stage and how young children learn through quality play situations and practical experiences. They provide a multi-sensory environment for children to explore textures such as paints, feathers, wood, sand and water. • Children are confident and curious, they initiate conversations and are motivated to explore a wide range of resources and activities. Children concentrate for long periods of time, talking with each other and

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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 communicating both verbally and in written form. Children extend their own imaginative ideas such as becoming ballet dancers. • Commitment to professional development is high, all staff undertake regular training and in house training sessions enable them to consolidate their understanding and continue to provide a high quality learning environment for all children

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What needs to be improved?

• 'There are no significant weaknesses to report at this inspection, but consideration should be given to developing the following:' • Formalise the current strategies for supporting children with English as an additional language, enabling them to communicate and learn English in context through practical meaningful experiences and interaction with others • Continue to develop strategies which enable parents to share in planning for their children's learning such as sharing observations of progress made at home. Providing them with the opportunity to participate in their child's educational progress and development

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the following key issue was raised To ensure written plans remain manageable and to review procedures for devising written plans to ensure that they are not repetitive, but are focussed on the Desirable Learning objectives (DLO's) The nursery devised an action plan and has addressed the issues raised. Staff have moved all planning and assessment records over to meet and reflect the Early Learning Goals. Short, medium and long term planning is clear and progressive for children's individual learning needs. Learning intentions for each child attending the setting is clearly identified. All activities and play situations are designed to enable children to make very good progress through the stepping stones towards the early learning goals.

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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 make very good progress in personal, social and emotional development. Children's confidence and self esteem are high and supported by staff who know them well. they are encouraged to become active and independent learners. they can select resources for themselves and learn to take care of their personal needs such as going to the toilet, washing their hands and helping themselves to drinks and snack. Children's behaviour is very good they learn to take turns, and respect each other.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children make very good progress in communication, language and literacy. Children are keen to communicate with staff and peers both verbally and in the written form. They listen to stories and join in repeated refrains such as in 'The Very Hungry Bear'. Children learn to link sound to letters helping them when writing in role play and making shopping lists, such as 'mush ooms'. Children understand that print carries meaning, following text with their fingers and reading labels on product boxes.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children make very good progress in mathematical development. Staff use everyday opportunities to promote calculating skills such as how many children are there and how many cups are needed at snack time. Children discover quality and capacity during sand and water play or at food tech activities. Children look at natural shapes such as strawberries and count seeds and see how may pieces it can be cut into. Children work in small groups counting objects and matching them to picture numerals.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children make very good progress in knowledge and understanding of the world. They explore similarities and differences between various cultures and religions and learn about customs, foods and traditions such as Chinese New Year. Staff provide opportunities to investigate and make discoveries through first hand experiences such as learning about strawberries, their shape, smell, taste, the seeds and what they need to grow including what products you can create like jam, and sauce for ice-cream.

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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 make very good progress in physical development. They explore large and small apparatus such as climbing frames, trampolines, crayons, paintbrushes, rolling pins and cutters. Children move around the setting safely and with good coordination and control. They manipulate malleable material squeezing, pulling and stretching it. They learn about healthy eating during snack time and food tech activities and staff help them to understand that healthy diets help their bodies to work well.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are making very good progress in creative development. They use their imagination, becoming ballerinas and they extend their role play ideas using props and resources. Children join in musical activities and explore the different sounds made with different instruments. They sing songs from memory such as their moving to a new school goodbye song. They explore colour, shape and texture and experience and respond to different smells and tastes including noodles at Chinese new year.

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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: • Formalise the current strategies to support children with English as an additional language, enabling them to communicate and learn English in context through practical meaningful experiences and interaction with others • Continue to develop strategies which enable parents to share in planning for their children's learning such as observations made at home. Providing them with the opportunity to participate in their child's educational development and progress.

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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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