The Hampton Day Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 21/10/2004 Inspector Name Lesley Ann Barrett

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Leapfrog Day Nursery (Peterborough) Setting Address Hargate Way Hampton Hargate Peterborough PE2 9LG

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name Leapfrog Day Nurseries (Trading) Ltd 3229362

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Leapfrog Day Nurseries (Trading) Ltd Address Central Office 2nd Avenue Burton on Trent Staffordshire DE14 2WF

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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

Leapfrog Day Nursery opened in April 2002. It operates from a large purpose built premises situated within Hampton, a new town ship to the south of Peterborough city centre. The nursery serves children living in the local and surrounding area's. There are currently 175 children on roll. This includes 44 funded 3 year olds, there are no funded 4 year olds at present. The setting supports funded children with special needs. There are currently no children who speak English as an additional language attending the nursery. The nursery open's 5 days per week all year round. opening times are from 8am to 6pm,although arrangements can be made to provide care from 7am to 7pm. Children can attend for a variety of sessions. More than 28 full and part time staff work with the children. Half the staff have an early years qualification or are working towards an NVQ in childcare. The setting receives support from a pedagogical teacher and child care advisor from

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Information about the setting

the Peterborough Sure Start Strategic Partnership

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How good is the Day Care?

Leapfrog Day Nursery provides unsatisfactory care for children. Management within the nursery is ineffective, staff's training needs are not identified, deployment of staff is not always adequate and some company policies are not being adhered to. Not all staff are working effectively as a team and are not aware of their own roles. Children have their own base rooms and each group moves about, within the nursery, however space and resources available are not being used to the best advantage , this results in an environment that does not always meet children's needs. An effective security system is in place, this includes CCTV. Risks assessments are carried out regularly to monitor the safety of the setting. Staff encourage children to

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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 wash their hands prior to snacks and meal times, although staff's understanding of good hygiene practise is limited in some areas. A healthy balanced menu is being offered, however the organisation of meals and snack times does not encourage a social environment and children's individual needs are not always met. Staff provide basic care for children and their lack of knowledge in early childhood development impedes their ability to meet children's individual needs, this was particularly evident in Pre-School, Toddlers and First Steps. Staff generally interact well with babies and pre-toddlers. Resources are shared within the nursery, however these are limited and provide insufficient variety for children. Most children are able

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How good is the Day Care?

to play outdoors on a daily basis. Children's behaviour is being managed ineffectively particularly within Pre-School. Staff have limited knowledge of special needs. Regular newsletters are provided for parents and they receive daily information sheets about their child's day, although this is not always accurate. All necessary regulatory documentation is available.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Not applicable, first inspection since registration.

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What is being done well?

• Effective security system • All regulatory documentation is in place.

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What needs to be improved?

• the ability of the manager to consistently oversee the organisation and day to day management of staff • deployment of staff. • the training of staff to ensure that they have sufficient knowledge to carry out their role • the organisation of space, resources and equipment available to ensure children's individual needs are met and that a stimulating, welcoming environment is provided. • hygiene practices • organisation of meal times • staff's understanding of effective ways to manage behaviour • staff's knowledge of special needs • information provided for parents • Monitoring of staff to ensure that all company policies are adhered to in particularly, nappy changing, special needs, behaviour management and

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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 child protection.

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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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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

Std Action Date 5 Devise a system for planning and implementing a suitable range of activities for children, which are appropriate to their age and stage of development 30/11/2004

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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

11 Develop and implement an action plan detailing how staff's awareness and understanding of effective ways to manage children's behaviour, taking into account their age and stage of development will be addressed. 30/11/2004

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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

3 Provide evidence of how you will ensure that staff have sufficient qualifications, experience and ability to carry out their role. 30/11/2004

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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

12 Review methods for providing daily information for parents to ensure that they are provided with accurate information. 30/11/2004

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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

1 Provide evidence of how the manager will effectively oversee the day to day management of staff. 30/11/2004

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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

2 Provide evidence of how you will ensure that staff spend sufficient time working directly with the children. 30/11/2004

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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 3 Improve staff's knowledge and understanding of the needs of children under three years, for example through the use of the birth to three

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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 framework. 4 Organise space and resources to provide a welcoming environment for children. 7 Ensure that good hygine practices are in place with regard to babies dummies, serving of food and lids on bins. 7 Improve staff's knowledge of the nappy changing procedure to ensure that it works in practise 8 Review the organisation of meal times to ensure that children's individual needs are met. 10 Provide evidence of how you will ensure that staff have sufficient knowledge and time to carry out their role as the Special Educational Needs Coordinator 10 Improve staff's knowledge of the special needs policy to ensure that it works in practise. 11 Improve staff's knowledge of the behaviour management policy to ensure that it works in practise.

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by the time of the next inspection

13 Provide evidence of how the child protection policy will be adhered to, regarding staff undertaking training on child protection matters

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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 Leapfrog Day Nursery, Peterborough is unacceptable. Children are making poor progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of learning except for communication, language and literacy, which are limited by some significant weaknesses.

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How effective is the nursery education?

The quality of teaching is poor. Staff have limited knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage and the early learning goals. Detail planning is only used for the focussed activity of the day and as a consequence staff are unable to provide an effective challenging curriculum. Although the assessment of children's progress is linked to the stepping stones, it is not carried out on a regular basis and staff rely on memory and a few written observations when writing reports on children to be given to parents. Staff do not support children in their play or learning, often occupying themselves with writing up the daily diary sheets, colouring in pictures for the wall collage or undertaking cleaning duties. Staff find disruptive behaviour difficult to manage, often using negative language or inappropriate restraint, resulting in children not learning right from wrong.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Leadership and management is poor. Staff are unsure of their roles and responsibilities and insufficient support is given to staff to gain further experience and knowledge through appropriate training. Systems are in place to assess the nursery's strengths and weaknesses but action taken does not appear to have been effective, therefore there is an inability to improve the care and education for all children.

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How effective is the nursery education?

The partnership with parents is limited by significant weaknesses. Parents are provided with well produced brochures about the setting, but insufficient information is provided about the Foundation Stage. Daily diary sheets and reports on children's progress are presented to parents, however these are not always accurately completed or reflect the records that are kept.

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What is being done well?

• The children's enjoyment when singing rhymes, joining in, matching movement to music and showing pleasure.

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What needs to be improved?

• Staff's knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage and early learning goals.

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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 •• The leadership and management of the nursery overall. •• The system of observations and the recording of children's progress. •• The information given to parents.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Not applicable, first inspection since registration.

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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: Poor Children lack of confidence and often wander about the room unsure of what to do, holding onto comforters and not accessing activities. They enter the pre school upset at separating from parents and will continue to be unhappy during the day. When supported by staff children do take turns and share; however they often behave in a disruptive manner, throwing sand and equipment around the room, they do not always show their emotions in an appropriate way and will kick, shout and hit others.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children enjoy singing rhymes and listen to stories, joining in with repeated phrases. Some are able to initiate conversations, but will often shout out to staff to gain attention. They do not use language for thinking and use little talk in role play. Children have access to writing materials and put meaning to marks, however there are no opportunities for the sounding of letters even when attempting to write letters. They are beginning to use one-handed tools but often hold them incorrectly.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Poor Children show no interest in number, they do not use number in everyday situations such as counting themselves, cups and plates, or use maths language in their play. There is little opportunity for calculation, children do not compare or separate objects. Children do not talk about shape or show any awareness of similarities in the environment. Different materials are provided for construction but children are unable to sustain interest for any length of time and throw materials around the room.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Poor Children enjoy digging in the sand but exploration and investigation skills are inhibited due to a lack of interest in how things work and limited staff support. They try to use tools for a purpose but are unable to use them effectively to create an end product because of holding them incorrectly. They have little opportunity to use programmable toys and work alone on the computer. There is no time to talk about significant events that have happened to them and small world equipment is minimal.

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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: Poor Children have opportunity to use the outdoor equipment and look forward to playing outside, where they are able to play on the climbing frame or run around. They do not have an awareness of space and often crowd around an activity, such as the sand or snack bar, pushing their way in. Children are not aware of their bodily needs and are unable to say that they are hungry or require the toilet. Their use of one-handed tools does not enable them to improve on their fine motor skills

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Poor Children have access to paint and build on three-dimensional constructions that have been started by staff, but are not completed by children who will often break them up. They are not able to describe the textures of mixtures such as the corn flour and water mix or comment on what they see or smell. Children match movement to music but their imaginative skills are not promoted due to poorly presented role play equipment, such as minimal items to sell in the shop, which they become bored with.

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Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is not 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 unacceptable. Children are making poor progress towards the early learning goals.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• develop staff's knowledge and understanding of all aspects of the Foundation Stage •• develop the overall leadership and management of the setting to ensure that all staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities •• develop the planning and assessment systems so that they contain more detail and activities can be planned to build on children's existing skills •• develop the partnership with parents to provide more information about the educational programme and accurate recordings of their children's achievements.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

The provider must draw up an action plan within 20 working days showing how the key issues detailed above will be addressed. A copy of the action plan must be sent to the local education authority. The Department for Education and Skills will write to the provider asking for a copy of the action plan. The Secretary for Education and Skills will then decide whether to withdraw the provider's entitlement to receive funding for 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 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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